Empowering palliative care

How our interdisciplinary team enhances advance care planning discussions

Advance care planning (ACP) is a powerful tool that can transform how individuals and families navigate healthcare decisions when faced with chronic or terminal illnesses. Carelon’s palliative care team empowers people to take greater control of their healthcare experiences by facilitating discussions on advance directives and creating plans aligning with their wishes.

For health plans, ACP is an opportunity to enhance members’ care, reduce unnecessary costs, and support people-centered outcomes. Carelon’s physician-led, team-based approach helps reduce stress, improves communication, and empowers seamless transitions that enhance the quality of life for health plan members and their families.
 

Facilitating meaningful conversations

Carelon takes a comprehensive approach to improving the quality of life for seriously ill members and helping health plans manage costs. According to a recent Carelon study, 99% of Carelon Palliative Care patients completed an ACP discussion with their care team in 2023. *

ACP allows members and their families to have open discussions about the member’s future healthcare and personal choices, including palliative and end-of-life care. An interdisciplinary, physician-led team supports this process. Social workers facilitate advance directives, helping individuals make thoughtful healthcare decisions and connecting them with spiritual counsel if desired. The team discusses legally binding documents such as living wills and durable powers of attorney in every interaction to ensure that personal preferences are honored when a person cannot speak for themselves.

Dr. William Logan, Staff VP and Medical Director for Carelon notes, "These discussions and documents take the guesswork out of decision making as things evolve." He comments, "Proactive decisions are often far wiser than those made under duress."

Carelon’s integrated approach to ACP aligns with the company’s mission to deliver comprehensive, value-based care solutions. This viewpoint helps facilitate:

• Guidance in decision-making: Personalized support helps members make important healthcare decisions tailored to their preferences.
• Coordinated symptom management: Working alongside health plans and augmenting existing care teams helps facilitate improved patient outcomes and improved quality of life.
• Timely transitions: Ensuring a smooth transition to hospice care at the right time helps avoid unnecessary hospitalizations, lowers care costs , enhances patient satisfaction, and optimizes resources.

Benefits of advance care planning

Carelon’s physician-led palliative care team is a critical component of the advanced care planning process. “Our palliative care doctors, nurse practitioners, and other care team members are experts at identifying when members are eligible for hospice care. Identifying these members early helps avoid unnecessary interventions that increase suffering without improving quality of life,” Dr. Logan notes. This leads to:

• By engaging with those who need proactive support, there is the potential for reducing unnecessary, costly interventions.
• Reduced stress: Advance directives allow families to focus on spending more quality time with their loved one and foster a more supportive transition during difficult times.
• Improved patient outcomes: ACP offers a higher likelihood that members will pass away in their preferred setting, whether at home or in a more clinical setting.
• Streamlined communication: Ongoing discussions strengthen understanding between members and healthcare providers, ensuring patient-centered care delivery.
   

Raising the bar by putting members first

Carelon exceeds national end-of-life benchmarks ensuring that members and families receive the most benefit from hospice care. “Hospice care is amazing. It's a huge wraparound comfort bubble for members and for their families. It includes bereavement therapy when that person passes away. We're really helping members and families to receive the most benefit from this amazing care resource," concludes Dr. Logan.
 

Compassionate care that delivers more

ACP is critical to improving outcomes and quality of end-of-life care. Carelon’s multidisciplinary approach empowers members to manage their healthcare needs according to their wishes. Meaningful discussions about care preferences lead to enhanced satisfaction and improved outcomes while reducing costs for both individuals and health plans. To explore how our solutions can support your team and benefit your members, reach out to us today.