December 2020

Discern Health recently completed a best practices study in collaboration with the Arizona Coalition to Transform Serious Illness Care (AZ Coalition) to identify community-based strategies to help people with serious illness in Arizona manage health conditions, reduce the risk of adverse events, and increase the number of days at home. The AZ Coalition is a group of more than 40 stakeholders in Arizona working to improve the quality of care and outcomes for the seriously ill and their families.

After reviewing the study results, the AZ Coalition voted to design and implement a home- and community-based palliative care (HCBP) network for integrated patient support. During its November Steering Committee meeting, the coalition announced the release of the best practices study results that showcase the rationale behind selecting HCBP and present evidence from a literature review, interviews, and a survey of Arizona programs. The AZ Coalition is pursuing funding to begin a design phase that includes aligning on the HCBP model and establishing value-based payment mechanisms. The design phase will be followed by implementation and evaluation.

The AZ Coalition is led by the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association, the Arizona End of Life Care Partnership, Discern, and C-TAC with support from the David and Lura Lovell Foundation.

Learn more about the AZ Coalition, the results of the best practice study, and the recommendations here. For more information, contact Theresa Schmidt at tschmidt@discernhealth.com.