Dear Colleagues,

The Statement linked to below entitled, Core Roles and Responsibilities of Physicians in Hospice Care: A Statement By and For U.S. Hospice and Palliative Care Physicians, will be published as a Special Report in the Journal of Palliative Medicine this spring. It will be accompanied by a list of individual hospice and palliative medicine physicians who have signed their names in affirmation of this Statement.

The Statement responds to concerns many hospice and palliative care physicians have about the frequency and severity of problems that hospice patients and families encounter that put them at risk of inadequate medical attention and avoidable suffering. Recent high-profile articles in news outlets have brought instances of poor-quality care and outright fraud and abuse to public attention, eroding trust in hospice care.

We come together as hospice and palliative care physicians to ensure high quality care for patients and families we collectively serve, and to rebuild trust with the public.

This Statement is intended to complement efforts of our professional associations and serve as a reference for payers, oversight and accountability agencies, and legislators about physician roles and requirements for delivering high quality hospice care.

Ira Byock, MD, FAAHPM on behalf of HPM Physicians Concerned About Hospice Care

NOTE: This Statement was originally posted on February 1, 2023 and has been updated on March 3 to incorporate clarifications in wording suggested by careful HPM physician readers. The only change in content is a mention of the need for hospice physicians to ensure that death certificates are completed in an accurate and timely manner. This updated Statement does not otherwise expand or change any of the points expressed in the document.

Core Roles & Responsibilities of Physicians in Hospice Care – A Statement By and For U.S. Hospice and Palliative Care Physicians

List of Signatories

Signatures were collected from February 1 to March 28, 2023.