Palliative care is specialized medical care focused on improving quality of life for individuals living with serious or chronic illnesses. Contrary to common misconceptions, palliative care is not limited to end-of-life care — it can be beneficial at any stage of illness and across all age groups. Whether the goal is comfort, curative treatment, or both, palliative care supports patients through a compassionate approach.
Delivered by interdisciplinary teams, palliative care addresses a wide range of needs. These include symptom management (such as pain, fatigue, or nausea), emotional and spiritual support, and assistance navigating complex medical decisions.
In this month’s Oncology Coding Break, we take a closer look at palliative care and how it is captured in the abstract. We’ll review a few common case scenarios and address how side-by-side treatment and palliative care are coded, per STORE.
👉 Download the full August 2025 Oncology Coding Break: Palliative Care PDF to explore the details and examples.
