(305 ILCS 60/10)

Sec. 10. Definitions. In this Act:

"Department" means the Department of Healthcare and Family Services.

"Palliative care" means care focused on expert assessment and management of pain and other symptoms, assessment and support of caregiver needs, and coordination of care. Palliative care attends to the physical, functional, psychological, practical, and spiritual consequences of a serious illness. It is a person-centered and family-centered approach to care, providing people living with serious illness relief from the symptoms and stress of an illness. Through early integration into the care plan for the seriously ill, palliative care improves quality of life for the patient and the family. Palliative care can be offered in all care settings and at any stage in a serious illness through collaboration of many types of care providers.

"Serious illness" means a health condition identified in Section 25 that carries a high risk of mortality and negatively impacts a person's daily function or quality of life.

(Source: P.A. 102-655, eff. 1-1-22.)