Palliative care vs. hospice: What patients and caregivers need to know

When patients are diagnosed with a serious or terminal illness, such as cancer or heart failure, the news can trigger worry and distress in themselves as well as in their loved ones. Many families feel helpless and uncertain about the future.

But treatment does not always mean end-of-life care. Palliative care is the start of patient empowerment. It helps patients take charge of their journey with more confidence and less fear. Care can begin at any stage of illness, often alongside treatments aimed at a cure.

 

What is the difference between palliative care and hospice?

 

It is easy to confuse palliative care and hospice, since both provide highly specialized support. Palliative care and hospice treatments differ in when they are offered:

• Palliative care aims to alleviate a patient’s pain and discomfort when they are experiencing a long-term illness. They can receive palliative care at any stage, often alongside curative treatments.
• Hospice is a type of palliative care for patients nearing end-of-life who are no longer pursuing curative treatments.

While 100% of hospice care is palliative care, not all palliative care is hospice care . “Palliative care is a medical specialty focused on the relief of suffering. Health care providers can deliver that relief regardless of the patient’s prognosis,” says Dr. William Logan, National Medical Director, Carelon Palliative Care.

In 2006, hospice and palliative  medicine became a board-certified subspecialty across nine medical fields, requiring additional fellowship training.

 

What Is palliative care?

 

Palliative care is not end of life care , but a type of medical support offering patients:

• Relief from symptoms like pain, shortness of breath, or fatigue.
• A reduction in stress, anxiety, and emotional burden.
• Coordination of care across multiple providers.
• Planning for patients and their caregivers.
• Physical, emotional, and social support.

Palliative care is available for patients at any stage of a serious illness, not just at the end of life. Patients can begin treatment upon diagnosis, and palliative care can work alongside curative treatments. 

 

What Is hospice care?

 

Hospice is palliative care specifically for patients in the final months of life, typically with a prognosis of six months or less to live. Care emphasizes patient comfort and dignity, rather than curative treatment. Hospice teams provide the patient’s pain and symptom management, emotional and social support, and guidance for their families. 

 

When patients should consider palliative care vs hospice

 

Palliative care may be appropriate for conditions such as:

• Cancer
• Heart disease
• COPD
• Kidney failure
• Neurological disorders (MS, ALS, Parkinson’s)
• HIV/AIDS
• Advanced liver disease
  
  

Hospice may be appropriate when:

• A patient has a terminal illness and chooses to stop curative treatment.
• Health declines rapidly or hospitalizations increase.
• Pain and symptoms require intensive management.

 

Encouraging patient-driven care

 

Palliative care empowers patients to set goals for their care. Patients and families are encouraged to share what matters most, shaping plans that reflect their values. This approach gives patients more control, reduces stress, and ensures support from a specialized team that is available 24/7. “When people are more empowered in making decisions about their health, they feel more control and less uncertainty.” says Dr. Logan. 

 

Supporting caregivers

 

Caregivers play a vital role in their loved one’s healthcare journey. Palliative care provides emotional support, counseling, and access to support groups to help caregivers manage responsibilities and cope with challenges. By supporting caregivers, palliative care strengthens the patient’s overall care experience.

 

Facilitating advance directives

 

Advance care planning is a critical part of the palliative care approach. Social workers help patients and families create documents such as living wills and healthcare proxies. These proactive choices ensure patient wishes are honored and relieve families of uncertainty during crises. “These discussions and documents take the guesswork out of decision making as things evolve. Thoughtful, proactive decisions are often far wiser than those made under duress.” says Dr. Logan.

 

Delivering results that matter

 

Carelon exceeds national benchmarks for two key end-of-life care areas:

• Hospice-to-death ratio — which is over 68%.¹ "The name of this metric sounds morbid, but it actually describes the percentage of people with terminal serious illness who die while in hospice care compared to those who don’t have hospice," Dr. Logan explains. "The national benchmark is between 30% to 50%.¹ We do a really good job of recognizing folks who are eligible for hospice care and helping them receive it earlier — when they can receive the most benefit."
  
  
• Median hospice length of stay is about 39 days. The national average is about 18 days.² "It's incredibly common for people to wait until the last moment prior to death to enroll in hospice," says Dr. Logan. "We help to identify the right people for hospice, and we help them to transition to hospice care earlier. Hospice care is amazing. It's a huge wraparound comfort bubble for patients and for their families. It includes bereavement therapy when that person passes away. We're really helping patients and families to receive the most benefit from this amazing care resource."

 

Palliative care Is empowerment

 

A devastating diagnosis or chronic illness doesn’t have to mean fear of the future. Palliative care empowers patients to take charge of their journey, right away and for what may lie ahead. Better care begins today with an open conversation about the benefits of palliative care.

 

Understanding Carelon’s palliative care services

 

Carelon’s palliative care team includes physicians, nurse practitioners, a 24/7 clinician triage team, social workers, counselors, and patient engagement specialists. Care is delivered at home, in hospitals, or virtually. Treatment has evolved from focusing on older, end-of-life patients to serving patients of all ages under all types of insurance coverage, including commercial, Medicare, and Medicaid.

"We help to identify the right services for the right patients, and we help them to transition to hospice care when appropriate,” says Dr. Logan “We really focus on helping patients and families to receive the most benefit from the most appropriate care."

Please visit our what to expect page for detailed information about our services and care processes. We offer compassionate support tailored to patient needs during serious illness. Call us at 844-232-0500  to discuss referrals and how to start the palliative care journey.

 

Learn more about palliative care from Carelon

 

For more detailed information about Carelon's palliative care services, including our approach and how we support patients and their families, visit our palliative care patients page. Whether you're a patient or a caregiver, our resources are here to help you navigate your palliative care journey with confidence and support.