There are a number of reasons why palliative care is an appropriate and critical service for hospitals to provide to their patients.

Hospitals are where the most severely ill patients are.

• In the United States, 53% of patients die in hospitals, and 24% die in nursing homes.
• Many patients need palliative care to complement their life-prolonging or curative treatments in the hospital.
• Seriously ill hospital patients are highly likely to need pain and symptom control, coordination among their providers, and assistance in transitioning between care settings.

Hospitals are where the most money is being spent.

• Nearly all Medicare beneficiaries spend at least some time in a hospital during their last year of life.
• Medicare hospital payments rose 9.2% in 2001 and 10% in 2002.
• Enormous resources are expended on the seriously ill, putting the hospitals that treat them at financial risk if they cannot find a way to provide care that is both high quality and fiscally responsible.

Hospitals are the best place to plan for the next phase in the care continuum.

• Most patients are in the hospital due to a health crisis. This crisis forces confrontation with the reality of illness and the decisions that need to be made about care.
• Palliative care provides a smooth transition for the patient between the hospital and appropriate services, such as hospice, home care, or nursing homes.
• The hallmarks of palliative care — communication and coordination, combined with excellent medical care enable the patient to progress to the next phase of their care.