Reading Time: < 1 minuteIn this Case Study Sutter Health’s Advanced Illness Management (AIM) program uses ACP Decisions’ Video Library as part of a nurse-led interdisciplinary team that provides high-quality, valued-based care to patients living with serious illness. To learn more click here to download the Case Study.
Reading Time: < 1 minuteIn this Case Study, Munson Healthcare, which services over a half million residents across 30 counties in northern Michigan, implemented ACP Decisions’ Video Library to support serious illness care discussions. This initiative has helped Munson Healthcare streamline goals-of-care conversations and helped prepare patients for initial conversations about palliative care. To learn more click here to[…]
Reading Time: 3 minutesThe dual eligible population is one of the most vulnerable patient populations in the United States. Over the last decade, policymakers at both state and federal levels have worked hard to integrate Medicaid and Medicare benefits, administrative processes, and financing to improve and streamline care for the individuals simultaneously enrolled in both programs. However, more[…]
Reading Time: 2 minutesPeople living with serious illnesses must make important healthcare decisions throughout their healthcare journeys. As they approach end-of-life, these decisions become even more consequential as patients consider treatment goals, palliative care, and life-support measures. Too often, an end-of-life care conversation is the elephant in the exam room. Even though patients and their families facing life-limiting[…]
Reading Time: 3 minutesDual eligible beneficiaries are among the most vulnerable patient populations in the United States. While policymakers and health plans recognize the need to address the complex care needs of these individuals, it can be challenging to understand their unique situations and the variety of factors that elevate their risk. Here are six things to know[…]
Reading Time: 3 minutesMedicare began reimbursing providers for advance care planning (ACP) in 2016 to promote better health outcomes. While the number of claims has grown each year, the prevalence of physicians having end-of-life care discussions with their Medicare patients has remained low. Despite the numerous benefits of providing ACP services, a recent study published in Health Affairs[…]
Reading Time: 4 minutesPeople who have a serious illness or are facing the end of life may be unable to make their own decisions about the medical treatment and care they want. Unfortunately, only an estimated one-third of Americans have any type of advance directive on file so their healthcare providers can carry out their end-of-life care wishes.[…]
Reading Time: 3 minutesIn the wake of the pandemic’s disparate impacts on different communities, healthcare organizations are exploring ways to advance their health equity initiatives. Given the fact that health literacy was identified as a valuable tool to help populations disproportionately affected by COVID-19, it is clear that addressing low health literacy can effectively improve health equity. What[…]
Reading Time: 4 minutesWith more discussion than ever around healthcare’s role in achieving health equity, it’s important for healthcare professionals, healthcare organizations, and communities to have a shared understanding of the key concepts and why achieving health equity matters. Making sense of the terminology Here’s an overview of key health equity-related terms. Health equity: Essentially, health equity means[…]
Reading Time: 3 minutesPatients should never feel they have received suboptimal care or were treated differently because of their race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. However, healthcare disparities are an ongoing reality for minority and underserved communities throughout the United States. Findings from a 2019 report from the American Cancer Society revealed that although the overall cancer death rate[…]
Reading Time: 3 minutesAs COVID-19 infections surged in 2020, the U.S. federal government stepped in with policy waivers to help overcome the biggest obstacles to telehealth, and medical associations released practice guidelines. Within weeks, there was as much as a ten-fold increase in virtual doctor visits. The increased adoption of telehealth revealed the enormous potential of telehealth to[…]
Reading Time: 3 minutesThe COVID-19 pandemic forced clinicians to alter how they deliver healthcare, ushering in a new era of telehealth. The increased adoption of remote medical care revealed its enormous potential to transform healthcare delivery. Policy and regulatory flexibilities that were granted under the public health emergency declaration eased some of the biggest barriers to telehealth; however,[…]
Reading Time: 4 minutesShared decision making (SDM) in healthcare is a communication process that involves a patient and provider collaborating to determine the medical treatment that best fits the patient’s values and preferences. Although there is a preponderance of evidence to support the use of SDM, its adoption into routine medical practice has been slow. Even when a[…]
Reading Time: 4 minutesThe onslaught of COVID-19 cases early in the pandemic derailed the process of shared decision making in healthcare by forcing in-the-moment medical decisions. The pandemic elucidated how health can deteriorate suddenly and unexpectedly, driving a call to action for individuals, families, and providers to initiate advance care planning (ACP) discussions and ensure end-of-life care wishes[…]
Reading Time: 2 minutesACP Decisions is pleased to announce that ten of its decision aids focused on end-of-life care have been re-certified by the Washington State Health Care Authority. ACP Decisions is one of a few organizations in the U.S. to receive certification within the end-of-life care category. This certification is valid for five years. Washington was the[…]
Reading Time: < 1 minuteIn this Case Study, Novello Physicians Organization (NPO) implemented ACP Decisions’ Video Library to support a whole-person care approach across a network of independent providers. This initiative has helped NPO achieve its goal of decreasing Emergency Department visits, hospital admissions and readmission rates. To learn more click here to download the Case Study.
Reading Time: 3 minutesFor many years, telehealth lingered on the fringes of healthcare. Then came the COVID-19 pandemic. The utilization of telehealth services skyrocketed from less than one percent to as much as eighty percent of provider visits in the early months of the public health emergency as temporary policies were enacted to promote a safer mode of care delivery.[…]
Reading Time: 3 minutesPalliative care is defined as medical care that is focused on relieving the symptoms associated with a chronic or life-threatening illness. It can be offered along with curative treatments at any stage of illness to provide comfort and support. It also includes guidance making important medical decisions and assistance with coordination of care. The goal[…]
Reading Time: 4 minutesSocial isolation and loneliness are common problems among older adults and are linked to several health conditions, such as depression and heart disease. According to the CDC, social isolation is a lack of social connection, while loneliness is the feeling of being alone, regardless of the amount of social contact. Healthcare professionals can take steps[…]
Reading Time: 3 minutesHealthcare has a language of its own. Unfortunately, more than one-third of U.S. adults have limited health literacy, making it difficult for them to comprehend the language of healthcare. Limited health literacy negatively impacts a person’s ability to make informed decisions about their health and navigate to the medical services they need. It is estimated[…]
Reading Time: 3 minutesIn a perfect healthcare world, advance care planning conversations are initiated early in the patient journey, advance directives and health care proxies are documented, and the patient’s healthcare team has access to this information. The reality is far from ideal. Care decisions are often made in the hospital during a health crisis. There is little[…]
Reading Time: 2 minutesWe find that patients like to feel like their providers are invested in their care. They want to trust that all aspects of their care are being coordinated by their care team. Currently, when patients access the ACP Decisions resources prescribed by their care team, they’re taken to a patient resources page like the one[…]
Reading Time: 3 minutesMrs. S., 68 years old, suffers from end-stage liver disease. Her husband, Mr. F., cares for her at home; however, it has been increasingly difficult for him as her condition has progressed and she has had to go to the hospital more frequently over the past year. While Mrs. S. has been making her own[…]
Reading Time: 3 minutesAdvance care planning (ACP) allows patients to express their goals and preferences for future medical and serious illness care. Advance directives are an essential component of ACP, as they consist of the legal documents – a living will, a medical power of attorney, and Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (POLST) – that enable a[…]
Reading Time: 2 minutesThe COVID-19 pandemic can cause serious illness in anyone, and therefore primary care clinicians must be equipped to address advance care planning (ACP) with their patients. There are numerous barriers that prevent ACP discussions in primary care settings, including physicians’ comfort with the topic, and insufficient time with patients. In order to address some of[…]
Reading Time: 3 minutesWhile once the stuff of science fiction, there have been significant advances in artificial intelligence (AI) over the last several decades. Today, AI is transforming industrial sectors across the world, including finance, transportation, national security, travel, city management and healthcare. Artificial intelligence (AI) is defined by the English Oxford Living Dictionary as “the theory and[…]
Reading Time: < 1 minuteWhen time is of the essence, clinicians can now share video content more efficiently using My ACP Decisions Quick Start. Our pre made codes enable users to access specific video content with a simple web link. Also, Providers can bypass logging into the My ACP Decisions platform, freeing up their time. Bonus: Providers can use[…]
Reading Time: < 1 minuteIn this Case Study, Providence Institute for Human Caring Implements ACP Decisions’ Video Library to Support a Whole-Person Care Approach, we discuss how the Institute for Human Caring adopted the ACP Decisions Video Library to support their mission to provide care for the whole person that addresses an individual’s unique physical, emotional, social, and spiritual[…]
Reading Time: 4 minutesAdvance care planning (ACP) is defined as “a process that supports adults at any age or stage of health in understanding and sharing their personal values, life goals, and preferences regarding future medical care. The goal of advance care planning is to help ensure that people receive medical care that is consistent with their values,[…]
Reading Time: 3 minutesThe drive toward value-based medicine has created a burgeoning field in healthcare known as population health management. Without question, delivering better outcomes at a reduced cost for a defined group of patients is an immense challenge. Patient populations take many forms and can be characterized by geographical region, employee pool, disease cohort, demographics, or socioeconomics.[…]
Reading Time: 3 minutesThe past year brought unprecedented disruption to healthcare delivery and exposed gaps in equitable access to care. It also brought to light the need for greater care options for vulnerable populations and the importance of advance care planning earlier in a patient’s healthcare journey. All these issues are central to healthcare reform and public policy[…]
Reading Time: 3 minutesThe COVID-19 pandemic tested the limits of healthcare systems worldwide. In May 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) published a guide to help countries strengthen the resilience of community-based health services throughout the pandemic and beyond. The organization acknowledged that community-based healthcare is “an essential part of primary care at all times; in the context[…]
Reading Time: < 1 minuteClinicians can empower their non-English speaking patients and families to participate in goals-of-care and advance care planning conversations with the ACP Decisions Video Library. Our videos are now available in 22 languages with another (Nepali) soon to be released. To assist healthcare providers in communicating effectively with diverse patient populations, we create and produce video[…]
Reading Time: 3 minutesNurses impact patient care and make a difference in peoples’ lives every single day. As front-line caregivers, they advocate for their patients and use evidence-based practices to promote optimal outcomes. Many provide skilled care and comfort for patients and their families at the end of life. Nurses are the ones always present at the bedside,[…]
Reading Time: 3 minutesInnovations in medicine and successful public health campaigns have contributed to increased life expectancy for Americans. As of 2019, the average life expectancy for someone born in the U.S. was 78.8 years (it dropped to 77.8 in 2020 primarily due to COVID-19). With advancing age comes an increase in chronic conditions that can lead to[…]
Reading Time: < 1 minuteClinicians can facilitate informed healthcare decision making and advance care planning with their patients by accessing ACP Decisions’ content through Epic EHR. This new capability enables providers to seamlessly prescribe relevant videos or documents that can be easily accessed by their patients. How it works Clinician chooses applicable decision aids from the ACP Decision content[…]
Reading Time: 3 minutesHealthcare technology for seniors plays an increasingly important role. The Baby Boomer generation is reaching senior citizen status en masse, causing the overall U.S. population to get older each year. According to a U.S. Census Bureau report, the number of people age 65 and older has grown by over a third since 2010. It is[…]
Reading Time: 4 minutesApproximately 37 million Americans suffer from chronic kidney disease (CKD). Of those, more than 785,000 have end-stage renal disease (ESRD), or kidney failure, and need dialysis treatment or an organ transplant to survive. Kidney disease ranks as the eighth leading cause of death in the United States and approximately 91,000 people are on the list[…]
Reading Time: 3 minutesThe biggest hope to ending the COVID-19 pandemic is through mass-scale vaccinations to achieve herd immunity. This kind of public health initiative requires a majority of the public to be willing to receive a vaccine. However, a significant portion of Americans are “vaccine hesitant.” Vaccine hesitancy is defined as “the reluctance or refusal to vaccinate[…]
Reading Time: 6 minutesEngaging patients in meaningful goals-of-care discussions is critical to providing patient-centered, individualized care. High quality care can only be achieved when a patient’s care is aligned with their goals, preferences, and values. A JAMA Internal Medicine review concluded that best practices for a goals-of-care conversation include: “sharing prognostic information, eliciting decision-making preferences, understanding fears and[…]
Reading Time: 4 minutesGoals-of-care conversations are the best way to discover a patient’s health care wishes and ensure goal-consistent care. When executed well, these discussions elevate the clinician-patient relationship, opening the door to trust, open communication, and shared decision making. In clinical practice, good communication techniques promote patient-centered care and are a cornerstone for conducting effective goals-of-care discussions.[…]
Reading Time: 3 minutesEvery day, some 53 million U.S. adults spend countless hours caring for a family member who requires medical care. These family caregivers make sure their loved ones get their medications, make it to appointments, manage activities of daily living, and stay safe at home. They do this without compensation or formal training, and often while[…]
Reading Time: 2 minutesAdvance care planning (ACP) is an ongoing conversation that involves shared decision making to clarify and document – through an advance directive – an individual’s wishes, preferences, and goals regarding future medical care. This comprehensive process is critically important to ensuring patients receive the medical care they want in the event they lose the capacity[…]
Reading Time: 3 minutesGoals-of-care conversations help patients with serious illness clarify what they value most and what they hope to see happens with their medical care. Clinicians can use this information to formulate a plan of care around a patient’s values and preferences. Quite often, patients – particularly if they have recently been diagnosed with an illness or[…]
Reading Time: < 1 minuteIn the recently published U.S. News article Looking Ahead to Solo Old Age, several experts – including ACP Decisions co-founder Dr. Angelo Volandes – weigh in on the importance of planning early, especially for those approaching older age on their own (i.e. solo agers). Per the article, “the rate of childlessness among boomers now in their[…]
Reading Time: 4 minutesDiscussing goals of care with patients facing serious illness is essential to ensuring that the care they receive is compassionate and aligns with their goals and wishes. Unfortunately, these conversations don’t happen enough. A Kaiser Family Foundation poll found that almost 90 percent of U.S. adults felt that talking with their doctors about their preferred[…]
Reading Time: 3 minutesAchieving patient-centered care requires shared decision making to take place between the healthcare provider and patient. One of the best, evidenced-based interventions for achieving meaningful conversations that engage patients to make informed decisions is the practice of using patient decision aids (PDAs). In fact, there are more than 100 published studies that support the use[…]
Reading Time: 2 minutesAlthough the benefits of hospice include high-quality end-of-life care for patients, lower caregiver depression and complicated bereavement, and less aggressive and costly care at the end of life, patients and their caregivers have substantial misperceptions regarding hospice, which contributes to its underuse. Only approximately 40-50% of patients in the United States die while under hospice care,[…]
Reading Time: < 1 minuteIn our White Paper, Implementing an ACP Program that Reduces Costs Without Compromising Care, we discuss the importance of a comprehensive advance care planning (ACP) solution, how it can contribute to a more sustainable care system, how to implement an ACP program, and how ACP Decisions can help in this process. But first – what is[…]
Reading Time: 3 minutesHealth literacy – the capacity to access, process and understand basic health information – is fundamental to making good health decisions. Numerous studies over the last several decades have shown that only an estimated 12% of U.S. adults have what is considered proficient health literacy skills. The widespread lack of health literacy is a significant[…]
