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Hospice Consultation

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Last Modified: January 7, 2013

Question

If I am followed by the palliative care team but I want to explore (and possibly go onto) hospice, can the palliative care team do that too?

Answer

Kava Schafer, MDiv, MA, Chaplain at Penn Medicine responds:

If you are followed by the palliative care team, it would be appropriate at any time of your choosing to ask to have a hospice consult or an informational visit by the hospice team. On the palliative care service, we share information with your providers and can explore this with you. Palliative care can accompany people through their illness, even when treatment continues or when treatment comes to an end. If you are not followed by a palliative care team, you should feel comfortable asking your oncology providers about hospice or for a referral to hospice at any time. I hope this helps.

This question and answer was part of the OncoLink Brown Bag Chat Series. View the entire transcript from the Focus on Lung Cancer Webchat.