Generalist plus Specialist Palliative Care — Creating a More Sustainable Model

Abstract

Palliative care, a medical field that has been practiced informally for centuries, was recently granted formal specialty status by the American Board of Medical Specialties. The demand for palliative care specialists is growing rapidly, since timely palliative care consultations have been shown to improve the quality of care, reduce overall costs, and sometimes even increase longevity.^1,2 The field grew out of a hospice tradition in which palliative treatment was delivered only at the end of life, but its role has expanded so that palliative care specialists now also provide palliative treatment in the earlier stages of disease alongside disease-directed medical care, improving quality of care and medical decision making regardless of the stage of illness. In an era when health care organizations may soon receive capitated payments for all services that patients receive, many are investing in palliative care to improve overall value.