• Camilla Zimmermann, Mary K Buss, Michael W Rabow, Breffni Hannon, and David Hui.
• Department of Supportive Care (C.Z., B.H.), Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Division of Palliative Care, Department of Medicine (C.Z., B.H.), University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Division of Palliative Medicine, Department of Medicine (C.Z., B.H.), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Dalla Lana School of Public Health (C.Z.), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Division of Palliative Care (M.K.B.), Tufts Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Division of Palliative Medicine, Department of Medicine (M.W.R.), University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA; Department of Palliative Care (D.H.), Rehabilitation and Integrative Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA.
• J Pain Symptom Manage. 2023 Feb 1; 65 (2): e165e170e165-e170.

AbstractOutpatient palliative care facilitates timely symptom management, psychosocial care and care planning. A growing number of cancer centers have either stand-alone or embedded outpatient palliative care clinics. In this "Controversies in Palliative Care" article, three groups of thought leaders independently answer this question. Specifically, each group provides a synopsis of the key studies that inform their thought processes, share practical advice on their clinical approach, and highlight the opportunities for future research. One group advocates for stand-alone clinics, another for embedded, and the third group tries to find a balance. In the absence of evidence that directly compares the two models, factors such as cancer center size, palliative care team composition, clinic space availability, and financial considerations may drive the decision-making process at each institution. Stand-alone clinics may be more appropriate for larger academic cancer centers or palliative care programs with a more comprehensive interdisciplinary team, while embedded clinics may be more suited for smaller palliative care programs or community oncology programs to stimulate referrals. As outpatient clinic models continue to evolve, investigators need to document the referral and patient outcomes to inform practice.Copyright © 2022 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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