Palliative Care Policies

What is Palliative Care?

Palliative care is specialized medical care for people living with a serious illness. This type of care is focused on providing relief from the symptoms and stress of the illness. The goal is to improve quality of life for both the patient and the family.

Palliative care is provided by a specially-trained team of doctors, nurses and other specialists who work together with a patient’s other doctors to provide an extra layer of support. Palliative care is based on the needs of the patient, not the prognosis. It is appropriate at any age and at any stage in a serious illness, and it can be provided along with curative treatment. For examples of how palliative care has impacted patients' lives, please watch these videos:

Medi-Cal Policy:

The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) requires Medi-Cal managed care plans to have palliative care programs for members. Medi-Cal plans currently follow palliative care criteria as outlined in APL 18-020.

Medicare D-SNP Policy:

Starting January 2024, DHCS will also require Medicare Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs) to have palliative care programs for their dually eligible members. Specific guidance is in the 2024 D-SNP Policy Guide. For more information about palliative care in D-SNPs, please view the D-SNP Palliative Care Fact Sheet.

DHCS has collaborated with Coalition for Compassionate Care of California, with funding from the California Health Care Foundation to provide technical assistance to D-SNPs. A webinar series was created to educate California's D-SNPs about new requirements to provide access to palliative care services starting in 2024. The California Health Care Foundation generously provided funding for the project. Please view the

Coalition for Compassionate Care of California webinar page for more information.