While palliative care and hospice care both provide comfort for a patient with a complex medical condition, there are a number of differences between these two types of care options. The timing of the care, where the care takes place, how the care is paid for, and other treatments that are provided concurrently are generally different with both types of care.

The Timing of Palliative and Hospice Care

Palliative care is comfort care, and there are no restrictions as to when you can receive palliative care. Whether the disease being treated is terminal or not does not matter when you are receiving palliative care. With hospice care, treatment is provided at the end of life. Patients are accepted into hospice programs or allowed hospice benefits through their medical insurance when they are expected to live six months or less.

Where Palliative and Hospice Care Takes Place

It can get confusing, because hospice care includes palliative (comfort) measures. In general, patients accepted into a hospice care program are treated at home. The goal of the hospice team is to provide support, comfort, guidance and care to the family and to the dying individual, all while remaining at home. It is possible to receive hospice care in a facility, but the most common way patients utilize hospice care is in the home.

Palliative care takes place at any time during an illness, and patients usually receive care overseen by a palliative care team while in the hospital or nursing home. These comfort measures are in addition to any treatment the patient is receiving to fight their disease, and treatment is not limited to comfort care only. Palliative care can also be received while at home, but this is not the norm for patients.

Paying for Palliative or Hospice Care Treatment

Both palliative care and hospice care services can be all or partially covered by medical insurance. If you are looking at hospice care, talk with the treatment coordinator to discuss the costs associated with hospice care. Many programs exist where hospice is able to provide services through subsidized care for individuals without the means to pay for services. Palliative care often occurs while you are in the hospital, and treatment is billed to the insurance company.

Treatment Provided

With hospice care, the goal is for the patient to live out the rest of their days in comfort and dignity. The illness the person is dying from will no longer be aggressively treated, and the person will receive all possible comfort measures during this time. With palliative care, the patient may still be treating their illness aggressively while at the same time receiving comfort measures to make the treatment easier.

Share