Expanding Palliative Care Access Starting in Primary Care
Apr 7, 2026
Palliative care is specialized medical care for people living with serious illness, focused on improving quality of life by relieving symptoms, reducing stress, and supporting patients and families in making complex care decisions. While often associated with end-of-life care, palliative care can and should be integrated much earlier, alongside curative treatment. A growing emphasis on primary palliative care recognizes that many of these essential skills, such as pain and symptom management, communication about goals of care and care coordination, can be delivered by primary care providers.
At The Care Collaborative, expanding access to palliative care begins by equipping frontline clinicians with these core skills. Through ECHO and eConsults, providers across Colorado are connected to specialty expertise, enabling them to deliver high-quality primary palliative care in their own communities.
ECHO creates virtual communities of practice where primary care providers learn from specialists and peers through case-based discussions. On April 23, The Care Collaborative will launch a new ECHO series, Primary Palliative Care in Primary Care Settings, designed to build confidence in managing complex symptoms, conducting goals-of-care conversations, and supporting patients with serious illness over time. This series reflects a broader commitment to integrating palliative care into everyday practice, especially in rural and underserved areas where specialty access may be limited.
eConsults complement this learning by providing patient-specific guidance for conditions such as hospice eligibility, nausea, vomiting and pain. Through secure, asynchronous consultations, clinicians can quickly access specialist input on palliative care needs, supporting timely symptom management, reducing unnecessary referrals, and ensuring care aligns with what matters most to patients.
Together, these programs create a more connected and compassionate system of care, bringing palliative expertise beyond specialty settings and into communities across Colorado, so more patients can receive high-quality, person-centered care close to home.
At The Care Collaborative, expanding access to palliative care begins by equipping frontline clinicians with these core skills. Through ECHO and eConsults, providers across Colorado are connected to specialty expertise, enabling them to deliver high-quality primary palliative care in their own communities.
ECHO creates virtual communities of practice where primary care providers learn from specialists and peers through case-based discussions. On April 23, The Care Collaborative will launch a new ECHO series, Primary Palliative Care in Primary Care Settings, designed to build confidence in managing complex symptoms, conducting goals-of-care conversations, and supporting patients with serious illness over time. This series reflects a broader commitment to integrating palliative care into everyday practice, especially in rural and underserved areas where specialty access may be limited.
eConsults complement this learning by providing patient-specific guidance for conditions such as hospice eligibility, nausea, vomiting and pain. Through secure, asynchronous consultations, clinicians can quickly access specialist input on palliative care needs, supporting timely symptom management, reducing unnecessary referrals, and ensuring care aligns with what matters most to patients.
Together, these programs create a more connected and compassionate system of care, bringing palliative expertise beyond specialty settings and into communities across Colorado, so more patients can receive high-quality, person-centered care close to home.