May 2020

The Coalition to Transform Advanced Care (C-TAC) has released a report designed to identify strategies to boost the use of advance care planning (ACP), a practice that is now more important than ever as the world faces the uncertainties of the COVID-19 pandemic. Discern Health conducted the report research, which will help to further develop C-TAC’s Advanced Care Transformation (ACT) Index^SM.

Through a literature review, an environmental scan, and a series of interviews, Discern collected evidence on factors affecting ACP and actions that can be taken on the state level to increase use. The report offers a variety of best practices to promote ACP, including:

• Recognizing racial and economic disparities in ACP and considering social determinants of health when designing programs;
• Holding provider training programs on the value of ACP and how to have meaningful conversations;
• Making ACP materials available in multiple languages to increase accessibility for patients and their families;
• Supporting state policies that help family caregivers, aligning policies with national and global efforts; and
• Developing interventions that engage people with serious illnesses before they are in crisis.

To learn more about the recommendations, download the report here.

For more information, please contact Theresa Schmidt at tschmidt@discernhealth.com.