4 Best Practices to Deliver Virtual Palliative Care for Providers

More and more people are living with serious illnesses such as cancer, heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and liver disease. The National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP) reports that 60 percent of U.S. adults have a chronic disease, which is the leading cause of death and disability and the leading driver of healthcare costs.

Palliative care is well-positioned to meet the unique needs of seriously ill individuals by helping to deliver relief from the symptoms and stresses of chronic illness and improving the quality of life for those in care and their loved ones. In contrast with the more widely known hospice care, which provides compassionate care for those diagnosed with terminal conditions, palliative care can be combined with curative treatment and is applicable at any stage in a serious illness. Palliative care reduces emergency department utilization, decreases visits to costly and unwanted acute care hospital services and improves the healthcare experience.