Palliative care through telehealth—interacting with patients and families via telephone and video—offers many benefits to palliative care programs, patients, and clinicians. This toolkit covers all aspects of palliative care telehealth delivery, including selecting the technology platform, setting up a hotline, billing for services, and conducting a visit.

See the "Setting Up a Program" section below to download CAPC's Telehealth Start-Up Guide. For telehealth tools specific to COVID-19, see our COVID-19 Response Resources.

What’s in the Toolkit

These tools provide guidance on selecting a platform, training your clinicians, and operationalizing hotlines and telehealth services.

Telehealth Start-Up Guide

Key components of telehealth service delivery, especially in a home-based palliative care program.

Telehealth Billing Guide
MEMBERS ONLY locked

A summary document of Medicare-reimbursable codes for telehealth and telephone encounters.

Sample Trouble Shooting Guide for Clinicians
MEMBERS ONLY locked

Provides suggestions for solving tech problems that may come up via a video visit. Sample orientation for clinicians new to the telehealth platform. Shared by Mount Sinai Health System.

Rural Telehealth Palliative Care Case Study: The ENABLE Program
MEMBERS ONLY locked

Slide deck providing information on how telehealth, if developed with intention, can improve access and equity especially in rural, underserved populations.

Case Study: Mercy Health: Virtual Palliative Care Add-on
MEMBERS ONLY locked

Mercy Health, a 135,000 lives ACO, added in palliative care consultations virtually to the top 5% of its virtual complex care patients.

Palliative Care Telehealth Models Summary

A review of pros/cons and lessons learned from early palliative care telehealth models. Authored by the team at University of Alabama at Birmingham.

With wide variation in available technology, experience, and comfort levels of patients and families, these tools can assist with patient preparations.

HIMSS Patient Guide to Telemedicine

Provides advice for first-time patients on preparing for virtual health care visits.

AARP Step-by-Step Guide to Using Telemedicine

Provides advice for first-time patients on preparing for virtual health care visits.

Telehealth Start-Up Guide

Key components of telehealth service delivery, especially in a home-based palliative care program.

Suggestions to Address Internet Connectivity

Practical tips and links for improving internet access for patients, especially those in rural areas without sufficient broadband. Courtesy of the Rural Health Information Hub.

These tools cover telehealth visit etiquette, including starting and ending the visit, and conducting a physical examination.

Expanding Access to Palliative Care and Psycho-Oncology with Telehealth Group Visits

In this on-demand case review, presenters describe how telehealth group medical visits (“group visits”) are a potential answer to expand access to services such as palliative care, psycho-oncology, and integrative oncology.

Telehealth At-A-Glance Guidance

Palliative care use cases, team considerations, and tips for virtual visit etiquette. Updated May 12, 2020.

REACH PC Guidance: Responding to Emotion in Telehealth

Tips for acknowledging patient emotions via phone and video.

Palliative Care Telehealth Sample Guidelines

Sample outline for a palliative care visit conducted remotely with audio-visual devices.

Culturally-diverse telehealth services

Description of program at UAB varying telehealth services for African-American and White patients.

Telemedicine: Virtual Connection in an Age of Social Distancing

Dr. Michael Fratkin makes the case for telemedicine and provides tips for the best possible interaction during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Resources on Telechaplaincy

Information from the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab on planning, staffing, and delivering telechaplaincy services.

While not traditional, remote physical exam using audio and video technology is feasible. These resources provide guidance.

Physical Exam by Telehealth
MEMBERS ONLY locked

A list of physical examinations possible via videoconferencing, along with some tips for completing. Courtesy of Mount Sinai Health System.

Compilation of Video Instructions for Telehealth Physical Exams
MEMBERS ONLY locked

A collection of brief videos providing guidance on completing specific examinations over videoconferencing. Courtesy of ResolutionCare and Partnership Health Plan

E-Pain Management Can Reduce Unnecessary Utilization

Randomized controlled trial of AI-based smartphone application shows improvements in pain levels and reductions in hospital admissions. Journal of Clinical Oncology

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