Palliative Care

The interdisciplinary palliative team includes physician, nursing, social work and pharmacy disciplines as well as volunteers. For each consultation, we partner closely with other members of the patient care team to provide an integrative and individualized approach to every person’s care plan.

Our service is available to all adult patients admitted to MedStar Health. A consult is typically initiated by the primary medical team for a patient, but can be suggested by nursing, patients, families, or other staff members. Our services include:

• Expert pain and symptom management
• Guidance navigating difficult and complex treatment decisions

• Advance Care Planning (see below)

• Emotional and spiritual support for you and your family
• Assistance coordinating transitions of care
• Communication about what to expect during serious illness and resources to support patients and families in multiple care settings

Patients with advanced heart failure often receive palliative care from the beginning of the treatment process. Your team will help you and your loved ones develop a customized plan for pain management, reducing stress and managing other concerns.

We’ll discuss and help you address how your condition is affecting you and your family. We coordinate our care with the care you’ll receive from your treatment team, which will continue to work to address the root causes of your condition and symptoms.

This care is an ongoing process, and we’ll be by your side throughout the treatment process. We can provide referrals to community resources, and we will support you as you make important decisions about your care.

Resources: Advance care planning resources

• Advance Care Planning Document

• The District of Columbia Hospital Association has prepared and distributed an advance directive document for completing durable power of attorney for health care, living will, and other wishes

Resources to support advance care planning conversations

• The Stanford Letter Project

• Available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Hindi, Russian, Urdu, and Vietnamese

• The Conversation Project

• Available in Chinese, English, French, German, Haitian Creole, Hebrew, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese

• The Tool Kit for Health Care Advance Planning

• Five Wishes

• Go Wish

• Prepare for Your Care

Palliative care for heart patients

Our teams partner with MedStar Heart & Vascular clinic to support patients and their families, help determine goals for care, and find ways to manage symptoms and implement comfort measures.

Partner with us

Have you or your loved one received support from the MedStar Health’s palliative care team? Would you like to share your experience with us? We invite you to share your gratitude by telling us your story. If you wish to share your experience with our team or make a philanthropic gift in support of our services, please click the below button.

Learn More

The MedStar Health system is proud to offer an interdisciplinary palliative medicine fellowship, based at MedStar Washington Hospital Center.

Advance care planning

The Palliative Care Team is available to help patients and caregivers consider and formalize decisions about the types of treatment they would (or would not) want in specific medical scenarios. Click here for additional information about advance care planning, including a link for the District of Columbia Hospital Association Advance Care Planning document and other resources to support advance care planning discussions.