Cost effectiveness of a palliative care program in a rural community hospital.

Palliative care benefits patients and their families because care is focused on improving the quality of life rather than aggressively treating life-limiting illnesses. Although it would seem logical that palliative care could reduce expenses and improve quality of life, there is a need to examine the cost effectiveness of palliative care before full-scale implementation. Key success factors for implementing the palliative care program included assessing the facility's desire to implement palliative care and a readiness for major change in medical and nursing practice.