Question: What Palliative Care services should count as a community benefit?
Recommendations: We do not recommend counting as community benefit palliative care that is part of total care delivered to inpatients. The reason is that palliative care programs have become the expected standard of care for hospital and nursing home quality care. However, there are aspects of the palliative care program which we do recommend be counted as community benefit:
In the category of Community Health Improvement Services, count:
- Community health education including programs on palliative care, spirituality and health, and advance directives
- Support groups and bereavement groups
- Palliative care case management
Do not count: Presentations made for marketing purposes
In the category of Health Professional Education, count:
- Palliative care internships and fellowships
- Professional education offered to physicians and others in the community
Do not count:
- Continuing medical/professional education for employees and the medical staff
- Orientation to palliative care to new staff and physicians
In the category of Subsidized Health Services, count:
- Outpatient palliative care programs
Do not count: The organization's inpatient palliative care program.