NHPCO NewsLine Winter 2020 - 7

Palliative care services have grown rapidly in the
hospital setting. As the seriously ill population grows
exponentially, so does the need for communitybased palliative care services. Hospice providers are
ideally positioned to meet this need, and many are
already engaged in providing palliative care services.
While the focus of care is markedly different, the
model of palliative care mirrors the hospice model:
holistic care provided to the patient and family by an
interdisciplinary team supporting symptom and
medication management, goals of care discussions,
advance care planning, and care coordination.
NHPCO distributed the 2020 Palliative Care Needs
Survey to our members beginning in June. The
deadline was extended numerous times due to the
ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Access to participate
was opened beyond the NHPCO membership. The
final deadline to complete the survey was
September 30, 2020. Out of the respondents:
* 69 percent are providing palliative care services
(was 53 percent in 2018).
* 24 percent are considering or in the process of
developing these services (was 35 percent in 2018).
* Respondents represent palliative care services
in 47 states.
NHPCO's 2020 Palliative Care Needs Survey Report
summarizes the results for all who answered the
question " Do you provide formal palliative care
services... " . The results include the services these
programs are providing, the challenges they are
experiencing, and the opportunities for NHPCO to
support development and sustainability of palliative
care services provided by hospice agencies.
Most respondents providing palliative care services
have mature community-based palliative care
programs and over 89,609 seriously ill individuals
were served in 2019 (compared to 85,153 in 2017).
While the primary location of services provided is
community-based (home, assisted living facility, and
long-term care), most of these organizations are

providing care in multiple settings, including the
hospital and clinic. Over 72 percent of these
respondents have served palliative care patients for
three or more years.
New this year, NHPCO asked about the provision of
telehealth services. Over 90 percent of respondents
are providing telehealth services, and settings where
telehealth is offered mirror the settings where
palliative care services are provided.

NPC Guidelines
The NCP Clinical Practice Guidelines for Quality
Palliative Care (Fourth Edition), provide structure to
ensure quality palliative care services. Accrediting
organizations utilize the NCP Guidelines as their
foundation for palliative care accreditation. The
2020 Palliative Care Needs Survey offers an
opportunity to expand awareness and educate on
the value of the NCP Guidelines. While most
providers are utilizing the NCP Guidelines, 19 percent
are unsure, not familiar, or not following them at all
(this is an improvement from 32 percent in the 2018
survey the survey).

Members of the IDT
Palliative care programs leverage an interdisciplinary
team to provide services with the bulk of team
members directly employed by the organization.
Most programs have three or more disciplines on
their palliative care team. The most common core
team members are physician, nurse practitioner, and
social worker, followed by registered nurses and
chaplains.
The percentage of staff certified has increased in all
core discipline categories except for physicians.
Physicians still have the highest percent of palliative
care certification (64.5%), while 45 percent of nurse
practitioners and 42.5 percent of registered nurses
are certified. Other certified disciplines include social
workers (39.6%), chaplains (11%), and aides (12%).
(See the complete report for an average caseload
per discipline.)

Newsline / Winter 2020

https://www.nationalcoalitionhpc.org/ncp/ https://www.nationalcoalitionhpc.org/ncp/ https://www.nhpco.org/wp-content/uploads/Palliative_Care_Needs_Survey_2020.pdf

NHPCO NewsLine Winter 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NHPCO NewsLine Winter 2020