Associate Professor

Dr. Kara Bischoff is the Associate Division Chief for Outpatient Palliative Care and the Medical Director of UCSF's Outpatient Palliative Care Service. She provides palliative care to patients with a range of serious illnesses, including neurologic diseases, heart failure, chronic lung diseases, and cancer. She sees patients in clinic, by video, and in the hospital. In recent years Dr. Bischoff has developed particular expertise in the provision of palliative care to people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). She has published substantially and is a national leader in outpatient palliative for people will illnesses other than cancer.

Dr. Bischoff is seeking to ensure that patients of all demographic groups have equal access to palliative care, and that the palliative care provided at UCSF is inclusive for diverse populations. She runs a program called Care Plus that systematically and equitably identifies palliative care needs in a population of patients, and routes patients to appropriate supportive services based on the needs that are identified. She is the Co-Chair of the Quality Committee for the national Palliative Care Quality Collaborative and she leads quality improvement efforts in outpatient palliative care at UCSF. She also teaches medical students, residents, and fellows.

Dr. Bischoff received her medical degree from Harvard Medical School, followed by a residency and chief residency at UCSF in Internal Medicine, and a fellowship in Hospice and Palliative Medicine, also at UCSF. She is an active member of The American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine and the International Neuropalliative Care Society. She is a mother, an outdoor enthusiast, and a Bay Area native.
Education
2018 - Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Champion Training, University of California
Chief Residency, 2014 - , University of California, San Francisco
Fellowship, 2014 - , University of California, San Francisco
Residency, 2012 - , University of California, San Francisco
Internship, 2010 - , University of California, San Francisco
MD, 2009 - , Harvard Medical School
BA, 2004 - , Stanford University
Honors and Awards
  • Quality of Care Research Award: Palliative Care for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), ALS Association, 2024
  • Highest Rated Improvement Initiative for Embedded Palliative Care in ALS, UCSF Health Improvement Symposium, 2021
  • Abstract Achievement Award, American Society of Hematology, 2020
  • Top Doctors Award for Recognition of Excellence, Marin Magazine, 2019
  • Outstanding Achievement of Reducing Unnecessary Utilization, UCSF Value Improvement, 2019
  • Best Commitment to Patient Satisfaction, UCSF Value Improvement, 2018
  • Outstanding Resident Teaching Award, UCSF, 2017
  • Grant Awardee, Stupski Foundation, 2016
  • Case Presentation Poster Award, AAHPM, 2014
  • Quality Week Celebration Award, UCSF, 2014
  • Paper of the Month, Cicely Saunders Institute, 2013
  • Chief Residency, UCSF, 2012-2013
  • Quality and Safety Innovation Challenge Award, UCSF, 2012
  • Distinguished Professor of Geriatrics Award, Society of General Internal Medicine, 2011
  • Thayer Award, Harvard Medical School, 2009
  • First Place Clinical Science Oral Presentation, AMA Student Research Forum, 2008
  • Firestone Award for Excellence in Research, Stanford University, 2004
Publications
  1. Calton BA, Nouri S, Davila C, Kotwal A, Zapata C, Bischoff KE. Strategies to Make Telemedicine a Friend, Not a Foe, in the Provision of Accessible and Equitable Cancer Care. 2023. PMID: 37958296


  2. Tsang M, Bischoff KE, Schoenbeck KL, Berry K, O'Riordan D, Fakhri B, Wong SW, Shah N, Olin RL, Andreadis C, Vieaux J, Cohen E, Shepard Lopez N, Mannis GN, Rabow M. Value of embedded palliative care: outpatient palliative care and healthcare utilization for hematologic malignancies. 2023. PMID: 36809787


  3. Bischoff KE, Vanegas G, O'Riordan DL, Sumser B, Long J, Lin J, Berkey AR, Kobayashi E, Zapata C, Rabow MW, Pantilat SZ. A Systematic Approach to Assessing and Addressing Palliative Care Needs in an Outpatient Population. 2023. PMID: 37380147


  4. Digitale JC, Nouri SS, Cohen EL, Calton BA, Rabow MW, Pantilat SZ, Bischoff KE. Differential Use of Outpatient Palliative Care by Demographic and Clinical Characteristics. 2023. PMID: 37084827


  5. Leiter RE, Bischoff KE, Carey EC, Gelfand SL, Iyer AS, Jain N, Kramer NM, Lally K, Landzberg MJ, Lever N, Newport K, O'Donnell A, Patel A, Sciacca KR, Snaman JM, Tulsky JA, Rosa WE, Lakin JR. Top Ten Tips Palliative Care Clinicians Should Know About Delivering Specialty-Aligned Palliative Care. 2023. PMID: 37001173


  6. Zapata CB, Dionne-Odom JN, Harris HA, Kalanithi L, Lin J, Bischoff K, Fazzalaro K, Pantilat SZ. Honoring What We Say We Do: Developing Real-World Tools for Routine Family Caregiver Assessment and Support in Outpatient Palliative Care. 2023. PMID: 36608316


  7. Rohlfing AB, Bischoff KE, Kolaitis NA, Kronmal RA, Kime NA, Gray MP, Bartolome S, Chakinala MM, Frantz RP, Ventetuolo CE, Mathai SC, De Marco T, PHAR investigators. Palliative care referrals in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension: The Pulmonary Hypertension Association Registry. 2022. PMID: 36470050


  8. Bischoff KE, Lin J, Cohen E, O'Riordan DL, Meister S, Zapata C, Sicotte J, Lindenfeld P, Calton B, Pantilat SZ. Outpatient Palliative Care for Noncancer Illnesses: One Program's Experience with Implementation, Impact, and Lessons Learned. 2022. PMID: 35442773


  9. Bischoff KE, Lin J, Cohen E, O’Riordan D, Meister S, Zapata C, Lindenfeld P, Calton B, Pantilat SZ.. Outpatient Palliative Care for Non-Cancer Illnesses: One Program’s Experience with Implementation, Impact & Lessons Learned 2022. PMID:


  10. Fahrner-Scott K, Zapata C, O'Riordan DL, Cohen E, Rosow L, Pantilat SZ, Lomen-Hoerth C, Bischoff KE. Embedded Palliative Care for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Pilot Program and Lessons Learned. 2022. PMID: 36157626


  11. Deng LX, Bischoff KE, Kent DS, O'Riordan DL, Pantilat SZ, Lai JC. Frailty is strongly associated with self-reported symptom burden among patients with cirrhosis. 2021. PMID: 33731588


  12. Deng LX, Kent DS, O'Riordan DL, Pantilat SZ, Lai JC, Bischoff KE. Symptom Burden Is Associated with Increased Emergency Department Utilization among Patients with Cirrhosis. 2021. PMID: 34348042


  13. Fahrner-Scott K, Zapata C, O’Riordan DL, Cohen E, Rosow L, Pantilat SZ, Lomen-Hoerth C, Bischoff KE.. Embedded Palliative Care for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Pilot Program and Lessons Learned 2021. PMID:


  14. Bischoff KE, Choi S, Su A, Cohen E, O'Riordan DL, Oettel E, Blachman M, Meister S, Zapata C, Lindenfeld P, Calton B, Witt L, Pantilat SZ, Shah RJ. Better Together: A Mixed-Methods Study of Palliative Care Co-Management for Patients with Interstitial Lung Disease. 2021. PMID: 34115958


  15. Calton B, Shibley WP, Cohen E, Pantilat SZ, Rabow MW, O'Riordan DL, Bischoff KE. Patient and Caregiver Experience with Outpatient Palliative Care Telemedicine Visits. 2020. PMID: 34223495


  16. Smith GM, Calton BA, Rabow MW, Marks AK, Bischoff KE, Pantilat SZ, O'Riordan DL. Comparing the Palliative Care Needs of Patients Seen by Specialty Palliative Care Teams at Home Versus in Clinic. 2020. PMID: 33246071


  17. Calton BA, Bischoff K, Pantilat SZ. "I Just Need to Hold His Hand": Telemedicine Is Powerful, But Not Perfect. 2020. PMID: 33147095


  18. Bischoff KE, Zapata C, Sedki S, Ursem C, O'Riordan DL, England AE, Thompson N, Alfaro A, Rabow MW, Atreya CE. Embedded palliative care for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer: a mixed-methods pilot study. 2020. PMID: 32285263


  19. Liu AY, O'Riordan DL, Marks AK, Bischoff KE, Pantilat SZ. A Comparison of Hospitalized Patients With Heart Failure and Cancer Referred to Palliative Care. 2020. PMID: 32101304


  20. Schoenherr LA, Bischoff KE, Marks AK, O'Riordan DL, Pantilat SZ. Trends in Hospital-Based Specialty Palliative Care in the United States From 2013 to 2017. 2019. PMID: 31808926


  21. Ufere NN, O'Riordan DL, Bischoff KE, Marks AK, Eneanya N, Chung RT, Jackson V, Pantilat SZ, El-Jawahri A. Outcomes of Palliative Care Consultations for Hospitalized Patients With Liver Disease. 2019. PMID: 31326503


  22. Bischoff K, Yang E, Kojimoto G, Shepard Lopez N, Holland S, Calton B, Adkins SH, Cheng S, Miller BJ, Rabow MW. What We Do: Key Activities of an Outpatient Palliative Care Team at an Academic Cancer Center. 2018. PMID: 29431580


  23. Bischoff K, O'Riordan DL, Marks AK, Sudore R, Pantilat SZ. Care Planning for Inpatients Referred for Palliative Care Consultation. 2018. PMID: 29159371


  24. Bischoff KE, O'Riordan DL, Fazzalaro K, Kinderman A, Pantilat SZ. Identifying Opportunities to Improve Pain Among Patients With Serious Illness. 2017. PMID: 29030211


  25. Bischoff K, Anderson W, Pantilat SZ. A Video Is Worth a Thousand Words. 2017. PMID: 28914286


  26. Pantilat SZ, Marks AK, Bischoff KE, Bragg AR, O'Riordan DL. The Palliative Care Quality Network: Improving the Quality of Caring. 2017. PMID: 28384070


  27. Kamal AH, Harrison KL, Bakitas M, Dionne-Odom JN, Zubkoff L, Akyar I, Pantilat SZ, O'Riordan DL, Bragg AR, Bischoff KE, Bull J. Improving the Quality of Palliative Care Through National and Regional Collaboration Efforts. 2015. PMID: 26678966


  28. Rabow MW, Dahlin C, Calton B, Bischoff K, Ritchie C. New Frontiers in Outpatient Palliative Care for Patients With Cancer. 2015. PMID: 26678973


  29. Bischoff K, Currow DC, Corvera C, Pantilat SZ.. Unanswered Questions in Malignant Bowel Obstruction 2014. PMID:


  30. Bischoff K, Shah SM, Dhaliwal G, Hollander H. A heart-breaking case of fever and rash. 2014. PMID: 24687288


  31. Bischoff KE. Response letter to Thomas Finucane, MD. 2013. PMID: 24219220


  32. Bischoff KE, Sudore R, Miao Y, Boscardin WJ, Smith AK. Advance care planning and the quality of end-of-life care in older adults. 2013. PMID: 23350921


  33. Ajijola OA, Macklin EA, Moore SA, McCarty D, Bischoff KE, Heist EK, Picard M, Ruskin JN, Dec GW, Singh JP. Inpatient vs. elective outpatient cardiac resynchronization therapy device implantation and long-term clinical outcome. 2010. PMID: 20852289


  34. Gottlieb D, Schwartz ML, Bischoff K, Gauvreau K, Mayer JE. Predictors of outcome of arterial switch operation for complex D-transposition. 2008. PMID: 18442569


  35. Bischoff K, López C, Shaffer K, Schwaitzberg S. Colorectal Adenocarcinoma Presenting as Abdominal Wall Cellulitis 2008. PMID: