69 - What Are the Models for Delivering Palliative Care in the Ambulatory Practice Setting?

Abstract

Ambulatory palliative care is palliative care provided to outpatients in clinic settings. In these models of care, patients may come to a designated palliative care clinic, or palliative care clinicians may colocate or be embedded in a primary care or specialty practice (e.g., an oncology or cardiology clinic). Most outpatient palliative care clinics use the term “palliative care”; however, about one-third of programs have chosen “supportive care” as a practice label. Notably, the name may matter: evidence suggests that patients and referring clinicians (such as oncologists) are more accepting of referrals to palliative care clinics bearing other names such as “supportive care.” Considering that patients with serious illness spend most of their time outside the hospital, ambulatory palliative care is a critical component of the continuum of palliative care. Outpatient palliative care facilitates upstream access for patients with serious illness. This environment also allows palliative care providers to follow patients after their inpatient hospitalization.