Pace nursing student speaking with a patient
Palliative Care

Palliative Care Settings

Palliative care can be provided in any setting, including the hospital, skilled nursing facility, the clinic, and the home. According to a 2015 Center to Advance Palliative Care report, 67% of hospitals in the U.S. with 50 or more beds have palliative care teams. In 2011, this number was 63%, which was up from 53% in 2008.

The Palliative care community has also turned its focus to building access in communities. Providing palliative care services in the community will provide better continuity of care across settings and support to those with serious illness and their caregivers in the places they call home.

January 2016 the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) implemented an important new law that allows providers to submit claims for Advance Care Planning as part of a routine wellness visit. New laws and regulations about billing for services are constantly changing. Billing for palliative care services is largely based on discipline, setting, and state laws that govern professional practice within the state. For state practice laws, consult your state’s office responsible for regulating professional practice. For issues concerning submitting Medicare claims for services rendered such as the provision of Advance Care Planning, consult CMS.

Additional Resources

Helpful Web Sites

References

  • Ersek, M. and Carpenter, J. G. “Geriatric Palliative Care in Long-Term Care Settings with a Focus on Nursing Homes,” Journal of Palliative Medicine 16 no. 10 (2013): 1180-1187. doi: 10.1089/jpm.2013.9474.
  • Kamal, A.H., Currow, D. C., Ritchie, C. S., Bull, J., and Abernethy, A. P. “Community-Based Palliative Care: The Natural Evolution for Palliative Care Delivery in the U.S.”
  • Leff, B., Carlson, C. M., Saliba, D., and Ritchie, C. “The Invisible Homebound: Setting Quality of Care Standards for Home Based Primary and Palliative Care.” Health Affairs 34 no. 1 (2015): 21-29. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2014.1008.
  • Meier, D. E., Lim, B., and Carlson, M. D. “Raising the Standard: Palliative Care in Nursing Homes.”
  • Morrison, R. S., Dietrich, J., Ladwig, S., Quill, T., Sacco, J., Tangeman, J., and Meier, D. E. “Palliative Care Consultation Teams Cut Hospital Costs for Medicaid Beneficiaries.” Health Affairs 30 no. 3 (2011): 454-463. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2010.0929.
  • Wiencek, C. and Coyne, P. “Palliative Care Delivery Models.”