are diagnosed with a serious illness.

pediatric palliative services, the most significant of which include the following: (i) challenges in predicting life expectancy; (ii) the reluctance of families and professionals to acknowledge a child’s incurable condition; and (iii) the lack of an appropriate, pediatric-focused reimbursement structure leading to insufficient community-based resources.

have been shown to keep children out of the hospital by managing many symptoms in the home setting, thereby improving childhood quality of life while maintaining budget neutrality.