Vynca Team
In a national survey conducted for the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC), “physicians viewing palliative care as only end-of-life care” was identified as one of the main barriers to referral. That is not surprising, because providers are often confused by palliative care, which is encountered in very different ways depending on the setting:
In short, palliative care is about helping people live better with serious illness. Hospice is about helping people live with comfort, dignity, and support near the end of life.
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 a serious illness. The goal is to improve quality of life for both the patient and the family. [It] is based on the needs of the patient, not on the patient’s prognosis. This care is appropriate at any age and at any stage in a serious illness, and it can be provided along with curative treatment. – Center for Advanced Palliative Care
Serious illness is defined as any health condition that carries a high risk of mortality, negatively impacts a person's daily functioning or quality of life, and/or places significant strain on their caregivers. Hospice is a type of palliative care that is offered in the last six months of life, usually through certified hospice agencies and covered by a patient's Medicare Part A benefit.
Palliative Care is not Hospice Care
When palliative care is provided alongside chemotherapy, dialysis, heart failure therapies, or other disease‑directed treatments, it adds a holistic, team‑based layer of support that addresses physical symptoms as well as psychosocial, behavioral, and spiritual needs. It also facilitates advance care planning so that preferences are documented and accessible before a crisis.
Our Vynca palliative care teams honor our patients and the lives they are living today by helping them make more informed choices, feel more empowered, and stay focused on what matters most. By managing symptoms, having the hard but important conversations, and connecting patients and caregivers to community resources and services, we make it easier to squeeze more life from each day.
According to the Goals of Care Coalition of New Jersey, utilization of palliative care remains low, with only 1 out of 3 Medicare beneficiaries with cancer having accessed palliative care or hospice in 2021. And even though the Medicare hospice benefit covers up to six months of life, research reveals that about 40% of patients are only referred to hospice in their last week of life, and median hospice length of stay is just 18 days. Studies have also shown that late transitions to hospice — especially in the last week of life — are associated with worse patient and family outcomes, including unmanaged symptoms, more hospitalizations, higher family emotional distress, and poorer perceived quality of care.
Improvement, however, may be on the horizon as more states add community‑based palliative care benefits to Medicaid. New Jersey is now the third state in the country to offer a Community-based Palliative Care (CBPC) benefit for Medicaid recipients with serious illnesses and their caregivers, following California and Hawaii.
Changing the Care Paradigm: More Support Earlier
By incorporating palliative care earlier, the transition to hospice is often smoother and less stressful for all involved. In our experience, patients and families are more familiar with goals‑of‑care conversations, preferences are clearer, and care team trust has already been established. This leads to hospice referrals that are timelier, less crisis‑driven, and better aligned with what patients actually want.
Vynca changes the palliative care paradigm
with measurable impact and improved outcomes.
By separating palliative and hospice clearly in clinical practice and language, providers can normalize palliative care as a standard part of serious illness management—not a last resort.
Vynca partners with providers to deliver high‑touch, tech‑enabled palliative care in the home and community, surrounding your patients with proactive, interdisciplinary care while keeping you informed and in the lead.
If you are thinking about specific patients who are struggling with symptoms, decisions, or repeated hospitalizations, palliative care may be the missing layer of support. To learn more, connect with our team or submit a referral through your usual process so we can begin support earlier. Together, we can help ensure that palliative care and hospice each play their optimal roles in supporting those living with serious illness.