Filling the Gap: Creating an Outpatient Palliative Care Program in Your Institution

The benefits of outpatient palliative care to patients with cancer are well established.1-4 Although the prevalence of outpatient palliative care services in cancer centers has increased,5,6 many oncologists who practice in rural or community settings have limited access to palliative care specialists. The data about successful models of outpatient palliative care are still emerging.7 Successful community-based outpatient practices must demonstrate financial responsibility and must improve clinical outcomes. Although community-based oncology practices function largely in a setting in which fee-for-service is a critical contributor to the financial health of the practice, most palliative care services featured in the literature originate in academic centers or integrated health systems and are supported with a combination of research dollars, philanthropy, or a model of care not reliant on fee-for-service for income. This article reviews key considerations for how to build an outpatient palliative care program: Define the scope and benefits of outpatient palliative care. Identify strategies to overcome common barriers to integrating outpatient palliative care into cancer care. Outline a business case for outpatient palliative care. Describe successful models of outpatient palliative care highlighted in the literature. Examine important factors for design and operation of a palliative care clinic. DEFINING PALLIATIVE CARE AND ITS BENEFIT TO COMMUNITY ONCOLOGY Section: ChooseTop of pageAbstractDEFINING PALLIATIVE CARE ... <