Palliative Care - Three Awesome Benefits

Last month, the Albany, NY Times Union newspaper reported on a palliative care conference sponsored jointly by the Healthcare Association of New York State and the Hospice and Palliative Care Association of New York State.  Many patients, given the choice, will opt out of expensive care that may have only a marginal chance of success.   At least three significant benefits were identified.

1. Studies have shown that palliative care patients report a higher quality of life and may even live longer.


2. Palliative care has been shown to improve patient satisfaction and readmission rates -- two measurements for which the federal government has created financial incentives for hospitals.


3. Palliative care saves hospitals "a ton of money."  A palliative care program at a typical 300-bed hospital would have about 600 patient consultations a year and cost between $250,000 and $500,000 to staff.  The team (typically doctors, nurses, social workers and chaplains) would save the hospital about $1.2 million.