Hospice-Led Palliative Care

A growing number of hospice agencies are launching palliative care services as a separate business line for patients who are ineligible for—or do not elect—hospice care. These palliative care programs can address critical gaps in care for the patients living with serious illness in their communities, and may also be an important referral source for an agency’s hospice program.

This toolkit contains resources specific to the challenges and opportunities that hospice agencies encounter when designing and delivering upstream palliative care.

What’s in the Toolkit

Needs Assessment

Engage stakeholders—patients and families, agency leadership, referrers, and financial partners—to guide program design that is aligned with their priorities.

Introduction to Palliative Care in the Community

Last Updated: January 15, 2015

Defining community-based palliative care: which patients need it, how it is delivered, and how it differs from inpatient palliative care.

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Needs Assessment: Ensuring Successful Community-Based Palliative Care

Last Updated: January 15, 2015

Evaluating patient need, service requirements, care settings, and stakeholder priorities for the community-based palliative care program.

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Community-Based Palliative Care Needs Assessment and Decision-Making Tool

Last Updated: January 29, 2019

Step-by-step tool to evaluate patient need, stakeholder priorities, organizational readiness, and sites of care for a new or growing community-based palliative care service.

Community Toolbox: Conducting Focus Groups

Last Updated: March 29, 2019

Comprehensive instructions and tools for conducting focus groups during a needs assessment. Published by Community Tool Box.

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Evaluating Models for Palliative Care in the Community

Ask questions of expert faculty about community-based models of care, including staffing, financing, service partnerships, and measuring productivity.

Planning for Community-Based Care: Getting Started

Ask questions of expert faculty about launching a new community-based program, designing your service package and staffing, and navigating the challenges of a new program.

Palliative Care Program Design

Non-hospice palliative care programs are designed to address patient need, organizational priorities, and referrer relationships.

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Quick Tips: Hospice-Operated Palliative Care: Designing the Community Palliative Care Program

Last Updated: March 22, 2019

Program design considerations including patients, services, and staff. Center to Advance Palliative Care, 2019.

Designing a Home-Based Palliative Care Program

Last Updated: March 4, 2019

Use this toolkit, Designing a Home-Based Palliative Care Program, to create a palliative care program for patients with serious illness that can be administered to patients at home.

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Designing an Inpatient Palliative Care Program

Last Updated: March 4, 2019

Use this toolkit, Designing an Inpatient Palliative Care Program, to develop a hospital palliative care program that supports patients in crisis.

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Designing an Office or Clinic Palliative Care Program

Last Updated: March 4, 2019

This toolkit, Designing an Office or Clinic Palliative Care Program, was developed to increase access to palliative care services for patients in a community clinic or office setting and their families.

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Designing a Long-Term Care Palliative Care Program

Last Updated: March 4, 2019

Use this toolkit, Designing a Long-Term Care Palliative Care Program, to evaluate program models and design the long-term care palliative care program.

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Tips for Hospice-Operated Palliative Care Programs

Guidance on navigating differences in philosophy, staffing, financing, and referral protocols between the palliative care and hospice services.

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Quick Tips: Hospice-Operated Palliative Care: 5 Building Blocks for a Strong Start

Last Updated: February 28, 2019

Assists hospices operating community palliative care programs to understand five key steps to take before launching their program. Center to Advance Palliative Care, 2019.

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Quick Tips: Hospice-Operated Palliative Care: Assessing Organizational Bandwidth for Community Palliative Care

Last Updated: February 28, 2019

Checklist for assessing organizational capacity to launch a non-hospice palliative care service. Center to Advance Palliative Care, 2019.

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Quick Tips: Hospice-Operated Palliative Care: Designing the Community Palliative Care Program

Last Updated: March 22, 2019

Program design considerations including patients, services, and staff. Center to Advance Palliative Care, 2019.

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Quick Tips: Hospice-Operated Palliative Care: Defining Boundaries and Building Cohesion

Last Updated: February 28, 2019

Guidance for clarifying boundaries between hospice and palliative care services, and building internal cohesion. Center to Advance Palliative Care, 2019.

Hospices as Providers of Community-Based Palliative Care: Planning Your Service Strategically

Last Updated: February 25, 2019

Considerations for the hospice before starting a non-hospice palliative care service line. Webinar presentation.

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Quick Tips: Hospice-Operated Palliative Care: Ensuring Timely Transitions from Palliative Care to Hospice

Last Updated: April 9, 2019

Best practices to promote appropriate, patient-centered referrals. Center to Advance Palliative Care, 2019.

Hospices as Providers of Community-Based Palliative Care: Demystifying the Differences

Last Updated: February 25, 2019

Differentiating hospice and palliative care services and eligibility. Webinar presentation.

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Staff Training for Palliative Care

Training for hospice and/or palliative care clinicians in communication skills, pain and symptom management, dementia care best practices, and family caregiver support.

CAPC Curriculum - Continuing Education Credits Overview

Last Updated: March 28, 2019

Course catalog for CAPC's clinical training curriculum. Onboard new palliative care team members using standardized training, or train non-palliative care specialists in core skills. All courses provide continuing education credits for all disciplines and are free for CAPC members.

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Online Clinical Training Courses For All Clinicians

Last Updated: June 7, 2019

Online training curriculum for all specialties and disciplines to strengthen their care of patients living with serious illness. Free continuing education credits for all, and physicians receive ABIM MOC points for select courses.

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Training Hospice Clinicians Using CAPC's Online Curriculum

Last Updated: March 11, 2019

A case study from Bluegrass Care Navigators.

Training All Clinicians in Core Palliative Care Skills

Questions about training clinicians from all specialties in communication, pain and symptom management, and supporting family caregivers. Topics include training strategies, CAPC’s CE curriculum, and all other training methods!

Program Measurement and Evaluation

Tools to identify measures, collect data, and use your data to demonstrate the value of the palliative care program to patients, partners, and the hospice agency.

Measurement for Community-Based Palliative Care

Ask questions about how to select key program measures and how to use data to show the value of the palliative care program.

Metrics that Matter for Hospices Running Palliative Care Services

Ask questions about what to measure and how to interpret the data to evaluate the value of palliative care services to your hospice.

Measurement Best Practices

Last Updated: March 4, 2019

Use this toolkit to select program measures that demonstrate value to stakeholders and support quality care delivery. Overcome common measurement obstacles and synthesize program data.

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Program Certification

Certification programs for hospice-led palliative care programs based on national quality standards.

Community Health Accreditation Program (CHAP) Palliative Care Certification

Last Updated: March 11, 2019

Recognizes community palliative care programs delivered by independent providers of palliative care, palliative care programs that are a service of a clinic, physician group, skilled nursing facility (SNF), or of a CHAP-accredited home health agency or hospice. Certification award is for three (3) years.

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