Workforce Data and Reports
The need for hospice and palliative services is growing rapidly as the population increases and ages and as both hospice and palliative care become more accepted and desired by the population. Hospice and palliative medicine (HPM) is a relatively new physician specialty. Given the time needed to increase the supply of specialty trained physicians, it was important to assess future needs now to guide future growth.
Since 2008, member boards of ABMS have certified 7,779 physicians in the subspecialty-level practice of hospice and palliative medicine. From 2008-2018, members boards of AOA have issued certificates of added qualifications to 419 physicians in the practice of hospice and palliative medicine. As of 2019, AOA will no longer release certification statistics for any specialty or subspecialty.
Current State of the Hospice and Palliative Medicine Workforce
Proceedings of the Roundtable on Quality Care for People with Serious Illness’s workshop, Building the Workforce We Need to Care for People with Serious Illness, summarize the presentations and discussions from the November 2019 public workshop. View the videos and PowerPoint presentations from the Roundtable’s November workshop.
The George Washington University Health Workforce Institute in collaboration with AAHPM conducted workforce studies on the supply, distribution, need and demand for hospice and palliative medicine physicians.
The current state of the workforce is described by the resources below:
Comparing Hospice and Palliative Care Pathways for New Hospice and Palliative Medicine Physicians
A Profile of New Hospice and Palliative Medicine Physicians: Results from the Survey of Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellows Who Completed Training in 2018
A Profile of Active Hospice and Palliative Medicine Physicians, 2016
Journal of Pain and Symptom Management - The Growing Demand for Hospice and Palliative Medicine Physicians: Will the Supply Keep Up?
A Profile of New Hospice and Palliative Medicine Physicians: Results from the Survey of Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellows Who Completed Training in 2016
A Profile of New Hospice and Palliative Medicine Physicians: Results from the Survey of Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellows Who Completed Training in 2015
Journal of Pain and Symptom Management - The 2015 Class of Hospice & Palliative Medicine Fellow-From Training to Practice: Implications for HPM Workforce Supply
Hospice and Palliative Medicine Physicians
Since 2008, ABMS and AOA formally recognized hospice and palliative medicine as a subspecialty certification.
Number Certified
The number of ABMS physicians who have achieved subspecialty certification in hospice and palliative medicine (HPM) since 2008 is 7,779 and from 2008-2019 the number of AOA physicians who have achieved a certificate of added qualifications in HPM is 419. As of 2019, AOA will no longer release certification statistics for any specialty or subspecialty. See the breakdown as reported by ABMS/AOA.
| ABMS American Board of: | as of 12/31/19 |
| Internal Medicine | 4751 |
| Family Medicine | 1931 |
| Pediatrics | 346 |
| Emergency Medicine | 176 |
| Psychiatry & Neurology | 144 |
| Anesthesiology | 136 |
| Surgery | 80 |
| Obstetrics & Gynecology | 80 |
| Radiology | 69 |
| Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation | 59 |
| Preventive Medicine | 7 |
| ABMS Subtotal | 7779 |
| As of December 31, 2017, AOA only reports the total number of certificates issued for a given year through the AOA Conjoint Examination Committee for Hospice and Palliative Medicine. A breakdown by specialty is no longer available. As of 2019, AOA will no longer release certification statistics for any specialty or subspecialty. | |
| AOA Subtotal (as of June 6, 2018) | 419 |
Number Active
The number of active certificates held by ABMS diplomates is 6,999. The numbers include certificate holders who are retired and excludes physicians who are deceased. As of 2019, AOA will no longer release certification statistics for any specialty or subspecialty. See the breakdown as reported by ABMS. AOA statistics are reported as of August 2019.
| ABMS American Board of: | as of 6/30/20 |
| Internal Medicine | 4343 |
| Family Medicine | 1658 |
| Pediatrics | 312 |
| Emergency Medicine | 168 |
| Anesthesiology | 121 |
| Psychiatry & Neurology | 119 |
| Surgery | 77 |
| Obstetrics & Gynecology | 76 |
| Radiology | 60 |
| Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation | 58 |
| Preventive Medicine | 7 |
| ABMS Subtotal | 6999 |
| AOA American Osteopathic Board of: | as of 08/21/19 |
| Family Practice | 241 |
| Internal Medicine | 151 |
| Emergency Physicians | 6 |
| Neurology and Psychiatry | 4 |
| Pediatrics | 3 |
| Surgery | 3 |
| Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation | 1 |
| AOA Total | 409 |