These talking points have the messages you need to get the attention of administrators, clinicians, patients, families and potential donors.

Talking Points for Administrators

Why Hospitals Want Palliative Care Programs

What is it? Palliative care is a medical specialty that provides high-quality, effective management of the growing population of patients with debilitating chronic disease and life-threatening illness. Hospital-based palliative care programs provide state-of-the-art, systematic treatment of pain, distressing symptoms, and patient stress, yielding important benefits to patients.

Better clinical outcomes

Strengthened patient satisfaction

How does it help hospitals? Hospitals can afford to provide palliative care to their patients given the tremendous impact it can have on the hospital's bottom line through:

Increased efficiency

Improved staff retention

Who is doing it? Palliative care is a growing healthcare trend in the U.S. with one in five hospitals reporting programs.

Why now? Hospitals need palliative care programs for a number of reasons:

Patient demographics are changing

Seriously ill patients want the best care

Accreditation standards mandate quality

Hospitals need a strong bottom line

Talking Points for Clinicians

Why Physicians Refer to Palliative Care Programs

What is it? Palliative care is a medical specialty that supports the primary care physician's care of patients with serious and life-threatening illness.

What it's not. Palliative care is NOT in place of curative care.

How does it help attending physicians? Physicians with seriously ill patients who require complex pain and symptom management or have a high demand for patient/family communication can refer to palliative care specialists. Palliative care programs offer attending physicians:

Time

Expertise

Support

Satisfied patients

Why now? Palliative care is in greater demand because it addresses stronger emphasis on quality of care and the stresses on the medical system from the aging population.

Talking Points for Patients and Families

What Seriously Ill Patients Should Know about Palliative Care

What is it? Seriously ill patients should know there is a medical specialty focused on meeting their unique needs. Palliative care specialists provide expert treatment of the pain, discomfort, and stress that can occur with life-threatening illnesses, and are on call to answer any questions that patients and families may have about their care, treament options, and medical decisions.

Why is it important?

Many patients need palliative care.

Palliative care works.

Palliative care is a growing specialty.

How does palliative care help patients and their families?

It makes patients feel better throughout illness by treating pain and symptoms.

It supports patients and families to navigate the medical system.

Talking Points for Potential Donors

Opportunities to Support Palliative Care

What is it? Palliative care is a medical specialty focusing on expert treatment of the pain, discomfort and stress that can occur with life-threatening illnesses. Seriously ill patients receive exceptional care at _______ hospital because we offer them special medical attention from the _______ Palliative Care Program. The palliative care specialists at _______ hospital are among the best in their field. They work with patients' primary doctors to deliver this vital care at the same time patients are receiving other treatments, at all stages of an illness.

How does _______ Palliative Care Program help patients and families?

It makes patients feel better throughout illness by treating pain and symptoms.

It supports patients and families to navigate the medical system.

How can you help?

Provide stories and examples of real situations from the hospital's program.

The specialized care provided by the palliative care program involves significant costs. The hospital funds many aspects of the program, but additional resources are needed to ensure that all patients who need palliative care can receive it.