Charting a Strategic Path Forward for the Future of Our Field
In a white paper published in Palliative Medicine Reports, Ira Byock, MD, writes about the challenges facing the field of hospice and palliative care and calls for urgent action to ensure high-quality care for patients with serious illness, and their families. He highlights CAPC's Serious Illness Scorecard to illustrate the wide variations in palliative care capacity across the U.S. Dr. Byock then outlines a four-part strategy for moving the field forward: publishing clear clinical and programmatic standards, making meaningful data readily accessible, driving quality-based competition, and embracing the field’s core mission of expert care that fosters well-being for patients and families. The paper is structured in two parts: an analysis of the root causes of the field’s key problems and a framework for strategic action.