Is your patient appropriate for a palliative care referral? Palliative care is holistic care based strictly on need, not prognosis. A palliative care consultation will assist you in managing complex pain, symptoms, comorbidities, patient/family communication, and other issues. Palliative care can be provided in the outpatient setting, a facility, or at home. Virtual visits are also available.

​

The following general referral criteria have been developed to help you assess whether a palliative care consultation would be beneficial to you and your patient. One or more of the following criteria may indicate the need for referral to the palliative care team:

​

Overall Presence of a Serious, Chronic Illness

• Alzheimer's disease

• ALS

• Cancer

• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

• Dementia

• Heart disease (CHF, CAD)

• HIV/AIDS

• Liver or kidney disease

• Multiple Sclerosis

• Parkinson's disease

• Progressive Neurological Disease

• Sickle Cell Anemia

• Stroke/CVA

• Genetic disorders

• Other chronic life-limiting diseases, with disabling pain is an appropriate referral.

​

Declining ability to complete activities of daily living

• Generalized debility

• Chronic uncontrolled pain

• Difficulty attending doctors visits

• Multiple hospitalizations

• Difficult to control physical or emotional symptoms related to serious medical illness

• Patient, family or physician uncertainty regarding prognosis or goals of care

• Use of tube feeding or TPN in cognitively impaired or seriously ill patients

• Limited social support and a serious illness (e.g., homeless, chronic mental illness)

• Patient, family or physician request for information regarding hospice appropriateness

• Patient or family psychological or spiritual distress