MHA has agreed to join Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts’ Coalition on Serious Illness Care – the goal of which is to improve the care and experience for those facing serious, potentially life-limiting illnesses. The Coalition believes that many individual providers and organizations are approaching the issue along various paths and that it makes sense to establish “a common and measurable vision of success.”
Short term goals of the Coalition include ensuring that: everyone in Massachusetts, 18 or older, has designated a health care decision-maker (health care proxy); everyone in Massachusetts, 18 or older, has had a conversation (and continues to have conversations) with their proxy to communicate their goals, values and preferences for care at the end of life; all Massachusetts clinicians have appropriate training to facilitate high-quality communication with patients on advance care planning and serious illness; everyone in Massachusetts facing a serious illness has had a high-quality, informed goals and values conversation with their care team; all Massachusetts healthcare providers have systems in place to elicit and document goals, values and preferences for patients with serious illness; and all Massachusetts healthcare providers have systems in place to share patient goals, values and preferences across care settings, to ensure they are accessible regardless of place of care.
Last week, MHA sent out an Advisory to its members informing them of the Coalition in case they are interested in joining on their own. Please contact MHA’s Pat Noga at pnoga@mhalink.org with questions.