Full Definition

Palliative care is provided by an interdisciplinary team including physicians, nurses, social workers, and chaplains, and addresses the full range of physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs created by serious illness. It is not limited to terminal illness — a patient receiving chemotherapy for cancer, for example, can and should receive palliative care for symptom management throughout treatment.

Palliative care can be delivered in hospitals (inpatient palliative care consult teams), outpatient clinics, skilled nursing facilities, and patients’ homes. Medicare covers medically necessary palliative care services under Part B as physician services.

Research consistently shows that early integration of palliative care into serious illness management — not just at the end of life — improves quality of life, reduces unnecessary hospitalizations, and in some conditions (heart failure, COPD, certain cancers) is associated with longer survival compared to aggressive care without palliative support.