4 Virtual Visit Best Practices for Serious Illness Conversations
IMPLEMENTATION, TECHNOLOGY | 3 MIN READING TIME
4 Virtual Visit Best Practices for Serious Illness Conversations
Published April 27, 2022
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[…]
Advance Care Planning: A Tool for Healthcare Empowerment
Published March 30, 2022
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[…]
The HEDIS Advance Care Planning Measure: What it is and Why it Matters
Published September 14, 2021
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[…]
Can the COVID-19 Pandemic Improve Advance Care Planning in Primary Care?
Published August 20, 2021
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[…]
The Potential of Artificial Intelligence to Transform Advance Care Planning
Published August 13, 2021
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[…]
The Vital Role of Community-Centered Care During a Pandemic
Published May 20, 2021
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[…]
19 Evidence-Based Benefits of Advance Care Planning
Published October 15, 2020
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[…]
Advance Care Planning for Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease
Published June 22, 2020
Reading Time: 4 minutesDementia is a term used to describe neurodegenerative brain disorders with symptoms that include a decline in memory, reasoning, and a gradual loss of the cognitive abilities needed to carry out daily living activities. These abnormal brain changes also affect behavior, emotions, and relationships. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia, accounting for 60-80[…]