Question: What Palliative Care services should count as a community benefit?
Recommendations: We do not recommend counting palliative care services as community benefit. We recognize inpatient palliative care programs as a standard part of clinical 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, beyond our patient population.
Do Not count: Presentations made for marketing purposes
In the category of Health Professional Education,
Count:
- Palliative care internships and fellowships, as part of GME (graduate medical education)
- Professional education offered to physicians and others health care providers 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
(Updated June 2025)