Palliative care is an approach to care that focuses on quality of life for patients and families living with life-threatening illnesses. Through early identification and multidisciplinary management of pain and other distressing symptoms, palliative care seeks to prevent and relieve suffering by addressing the whole person and his or her physical, psychosocial, and spiritual needs. Primary care providers (PCPs) must help patients to navigate the course of chronic illnesses. Death and dying are natural ends to life. Advance care planning allows patients to decide whether the benefits of particular interventions outweigh risks, and whether aggressive interventions and invasive procedures align with goals of care. Hospice care focuses on quality of life, and integrates a multidisciplinary team, including physicians, nurses, social workers, and religious counselors, to that end. Patient autonomy, symptom management, and natural death are the central tenets of hospice care.