Compare 17 hospice & palliative medicine specialists in Kansas City, MO. Check ratings, insurance, and availability.
17
Hospice & Palliative Medicine Specialists
100%
Accepting patients
65%
Most common: MD
Ranked by Clarity Score, based on profile detail, verification, and patient activity.
Kansas City's healthcare market is defined by its geography: the metro straddles the Missouri-Kansas state line, which means insurance networks, Medicaid eligibility, and hospital systems can change depending on which side of State Line Road you live on. Saint Luke's, Children's Mercy, and the University of Kansas Medical Center (just across the border in Kansas) form the core of the region's specialty and academic care.
Kansas City has 17 hospice & palliative medicine specialists. The most common credential is MD (65%). 100% are currently accepting new patients. Practitioners see patients in neighborhoods including Country Club Plaza, Westport, Crossroads Arts District, and Brookside.
Hospital campuses are spread across the metro. Saint Luke's main campus is on the Country Club Plaza, Children's Mercy is in the Crossroads area south of downtown, and the University of Kansas Medical Center is in Kansas City, Kansas. Truman Medical Centers (now University Health) serves the safety-net population from its downtown and Lakewood campuses. Most patients drive, and I-35 and I-435 are the main corridors connecting hospital systems. KC Streetcar connects downtown to the Plaza area.
Nearby hospitals include Saint Luke's Hospital of Kansas City, Truman Medical Centers (University Health), and Children's Mercy Kansas City. Local training programs run through University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine and University of Kansas Medical Center (nearby). Children's Mercy Kansas City is consistently ranked among the top children's hospitals and is the region's only freestanding pediatric health system.
Blue Cross Blue Shield (separate Kansas and Missouri entities) and UnitedHealthcare dominate employer-sponsored coverage across the metro. Ambetter and Aetna are the main ACA marketplace carriers on both sides. The two-state Medicaid split creates coverage gaps for some residents near the state line. Employer plans from large regional employers like Cerner, Sprint/T-Mobile, and Hallmark typically include broad metro-wide networks. 35% accept Medicare.
A palliative care consultation involves a detailed conversation about your symptoms, concerns, goals, and what matters most to you. The physician will assess and treat symptoms (pain, nausea, shortness of breath, anxiety, insomnia) using medications and non-drug approaches. They help facilitate conversations about advance directives, code status, and treatment preferences. Hospice care includes regular home visits from nurses, aides, chaplains, social workers, and physicians, with medications and equipment provided.
If you live in Missouri, confirm your provider is licensed in Missouri and accepts Missouri-based insurance. If your provider is across the state line in Kansas, check whether your plan covers out-of-state providers. This is one of the most common surprises for new KC residents.
Consider palliative care if you or a family member has a serious illness (cancer, heart failure, COPD, kidney failure, dementia, ALS) and is experiencing symptoms that reduce quality of life, needs help making treatment decisions, wants to clarify goals of care, or is struggling with the emotional burden of illness. Hospice is appropriate when curative treatment is no longer the goal and comfort becomes the priority.
Palliative care consultation copay: $30-75 · Hospice (Medicare): $0 copay · Hospice daily rate: $150-200 (covered by Medicare) · Respite care: 5 days covered per benefit period
Kansas City, MO has 17 licensed hospice & palliative medicine specialists. 100% are currently accepting new patients, so finding an available provider should be straightforward.
Yes. 100% of hospice & palliative medicine specialists in Kansas City, MO are currently accepting new patients. You can filter your search on FindClarity to show only providers who are taking new patients.
Missouri residents use HealthCare.gov for ACA marketplace plans, with options from Ambetter, Anthem, and Aetna. Kansas residents also use HealthCare.gov, with plans from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas, Ambetter, and Aetna. Medicaid differs by state: MO HealthNet in Missouri and KanCare in Kansas have different eligibility rules and provider panels.
A palliative care consultation copay is $30 to $75. Hospice under Medicare has $0 copay. The daily hospice rate is $150 to $200 (covered by Medicare). Respite care covers 5 days per benefit period. Actual costs in Kansas City, MO depend on the provider and your insurance plan. Hospice is one of the most cost-effective models in healthcare. It covers medications, equipment, and services related to the terminal diagnosis at no cost under Medicare. Patients can revoke hospice and return to curative treatment at any time.
The Kansas City metro spans two states, which affects provider networks. Saint Luke's, HCA (Research Medical Center), and University Health operate primarily on the Missouri side. The University of Kansas Medical Center and AdventHealth are on the Kansas side. Children's Mercy serves the entire metro. Always check whether a provider is in-network for your specific state's insurance plan.
MD stands for Doctor of Medicine and DO stands for Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine. Both are equivalent qualifications. In Kansas City, MO, 65% hold the MD credential and 35% hold DO. The difference is in training pathway, not quality of care.
35% of hospice & palliative medicine specialists in Kansas City, MO accept Medicare. The Medicare Hospice Benefit covers hospice care at no cost to the patient, including medications, equipment, nursing, aide services, and bereavement support. Palliative care consultations are covered under standard Part B benefits. You can filter for Medicare-accepting providers on FindClarity.
Yes. Missouri and Kansas have different insurance marketplaces, Medicaid programs, and sometimes different provider networks within the same insurance company. If you live on one side and your preferred doctor is on the other, verify your plan covers cross-state care before scheduling. Many major systems like Children's Mercy and Saint Luke's serve the full metro regardless of state.
The University of Kansas Medical Center is in Kansas City, Kansas, just west of the state line. It is the region's primary academic medical center for adult specialty care, transplants, and cancer treatment. On the Missouri side, UMKC partners with Truman Medical Centers (University Health) for medical education and safety-net care.
Top accepted carriers in Kansas City, MO include unitedhealthcare, medicare, qhp-94248, qhp-17091, and qhp-44228.
Palliative care consultations are covered as specialist visits under medical insurance. Hospice is a Medicare benefit (Part A) with no copays for eligible patients. Medicaid and most private insurance plans also cover hospice. Hospice covers medications, equipment, nursing visits, aide services, counseling, and respite care. Patients can revoke hospice and return to curative treatment at any time.