Profession
Palliative care programs take hold in Calif. hospitals
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Oct. 20, 2008
A survey released in September found a sharp rise in the number of hospital-based palliative care programs in California, with more than 90% of such programs created since 2000. About 43% of hospitals offer some type of palliative care program, says a study of 325 hospitals by the California Healthcare Foundation, a nonprofit that advocates for improving care for underserved populations.
San Francisco and Sacramento lead the pack with about two-thirds of hospitals in those cities having palliative care programs. About half of Los Angeles and San Diego hospitals have them, but only a third of Orange County hospitals offer coordinated palliative care services. Nonprofit hospitals and those within health systems were most likely to have palliative care programs.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2008/10/20/prbf1020.htm.