Palliative Care Specialist Use Among Medicare Decedents Who Had Poor-Prognosis Cancers

Has specialty palliative care (PC) use among Medicare decedents who had cancers with poor prognoses changed in the context of greater telehealth use and more advanced practice clinicians in the field?In this cohort study of 1 508 103 Medicare decedents, the proportion with specialty PC use increased 24% from 2018 to 2023, largely driven by outpatient encounters and care by advanced practice clinicians. Decedents who were older, had lower incomes, and were living in nonmetropolitan areas remained less likely to receive any PC.These findings suggest that different strategies are needed to increase PC use among some disadvantaged subpopulations.

Corresponding Author: Isaac S. Chua, MD, MPH, Division of General Internal Medicine and Primary Care, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, 1620 Tremont St, Ste OBC-03-2HH, Boston, MA 02120 (ichua@bwh.harvard.edu).

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