New CAPC Report Identifies Caregiver Support as Key to Better Outcomes and Lower Health Care Costs
As caregiving demands grow nationwide, new publication shows how caregiver support programs in hospitals improve patient outcomes while benefiting the hospital and health system
New York, NY, Feb. 20, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As caregiving demands continue to grow nationwide, a new report from the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) identifies formal caregiver support programs as a key driver of better outcomes and lower health care costs. The report links hospital-based caregiver support programs to improved outcomes for patients and caregivers, while being financially self-sustaining themselves.
Approximately 63 million Americans—nearly one in four adults—now serve as family caregivers. Many provide sustained, high-intensity care, assisting with activities of daily living and complex medical tasks for someone living with chronic or serious illness, disability, or mental health challenges. As a result, their own risk of anxiety, depression, physical illness, and financial strain increases.
These consequences not only hurt families but also impact hospitals and health systems. Research shows caregiver distress is associated with higher health care utilization and increased patient mortality. The data point to caregiver burden as a system-wide issue—one that affects outcomes, costs, and reputation.
In response to these growing clinical and economic concerns, CAPC today released The Case for Caregiver Support: Better Outcomes for People and Organizations, which calls on health care organizations to formally recognize caregivers as essential members of the care team and establish embedded caregiver support programs.
“Caregivers carry an extraordinary burden with little formal support from the U.S. health care system,” said Brynn Bowman, MPA, CEO of the Center to Advance Palliative Care. “The evidence is clear: when caregivers struggle, patient experiences and outcomes suffer. This report outlines how providing that support benefits caregivers, patients, hospitals, and health systems.”
The Case for Caregiver Support highlights growing evidence that hospital-based caregiver support programs work. Programs that establish the caregiver as a patient of the organization, with their own independent medical record, and offer psychosocial support can be financially self-sustaining and improve quality measures for the care recipient.
Other benefits accruing to hospitals and health systems include better performance in value-based payment models, positive public relations, and new opportunities for philanthropic engagement. These achievements happen through operating a program that can cover its own costs.
“Caregivers are the backbone of our health care system, but without support, they will be unable to fulfill their critical role on the health care team,” said Allison J. Applebaum, PhD, FAPOS, Director of the Steven S. Elbaum Family Center for Caregiving at Mount Sinai.
The Case for Caregiver Support highlights practical resources to support implementation through CAPC’s Caregiver Support Program Implementation Toolkit.
Read The Case for Caregiver Support at capc.org.
Media requesting more information or an interview with an expert at the Center to Advance Palliative Care may contact John Zoccola at 267-664-2759 or johnzoccola409@gmail.com.
About the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC)
The Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC), established in 1999, is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing the availability of quality, equitable health care for people living with a serious illness. As the nation’s leading resource in its field, CAPC provides health care professionals and organizations with the training, tools, and technical assistance necessary to effectively redesign care systems that meet this need. CAPC is part of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.
##
Melissa Scholl Center to Advance Palliative Care melissa.scholl@mssm.edu John Zoccola Center to Advance Palliative Care (267) 664-2759 johnzoccola409@gmail.com
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
