A pathway for patients who die within a week of hospice admission.

Care pathways have recently been developed for hospice patients who die within one week of admission. This development was motivated by a number of factors. First, under managed care cost constraints, it is sometimes difficult to obtain early hospice admission approval because of certain reimbursement regulations. Second, patient and family wishes change during the illness trajectory as patients move through the stages of death and dying. Third, and most important to the caregiver, is that the philosophy adopted within care pathways advocates that patients should not suffer at the end of life. This article outlines the rationale for the formation of care pathways and describes a care pathway developed for a specific group of patients.