Center to Advance Palliative Care

That does indeed sound circuitous. As a cardiologist would not call the attending for a consult, it would seem no more appropriate for the palliative consultant to call the attending. The staff nurse, case manager, etc. should be the one contacting the attending to suggest that a palliative consult would be appropriate. For our team to review the case requires a consult. The option of curb side conversations between the PC doc/APN and the attending is not uncommon prior to the order being given by the attending. By educating the staff nurses and case managers you will develop wonderful advocates for palliative consultation.
You will also want to steer away from case finding by your team. Routine processes such as participating in unit rounds have been used by some programs, particularly in the ICU. Sharol Herr, RN, BSN, MSEd, CHPN; Nurse Clinician/Education Coordinator; Mount Carmel Health Palliative Care Leadership Center; Columbus, Ohio.