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Let’s talk about what’s important to you.

A personal approach to advanced illness decision making and support.

When you’re struggling with a complex or advanced illness, it can sometimes be difficult to communicate your most personal values and priorities to the people around you — your family, your doctors, and even your spouse.

Vital Decisions’ Specialists are trained to help in these moments. Our Specialists don’t tell you what to do, but instead, help you think through your thoughts and feelings so you can make your own decisions. And then encourage you to communicate them to the people caring for you.

The result is less stress and anxiety. Fewer unwanted hospital procedures and costs. And more focus on what’s important to you. Let’s talk.

How Vital Decisions Works

Receive a qualifying letter and follow-up call

First, your health plan decides you qualify for our service (at no additional cost to you) and gives us permission to contact you. We then send a letter to your home and follow up with a phone call to see if you are interested.

Discuss concerns and what's important to you

A Vital Decisions Specialist describes our service: Are you getting the care you need, and feeling comfortable about the communications with your doctors and caregivers? Are your wishes being understood and honored? Can we help to ensure they are?

Develop a plan so your preferences are heard

Over the next few months (and with your permission) we’ll continue to check in. We’ll offer helpful tools for completing a Personal Advance Care Plan — documents that put your healthcare priorities and preferences in writing so there is no confusion.

Share your wishes with family and caregivers

After several phone calls we’ll hopefully have helped you navigate some of the issues concerning you, and ask you to complete a short survey evaluating our service.

“Specialists were so easy to talk with. Listened to how I felt and respected my wishes. Very understanding and caring. Respected my decisions concerning medical care and life decisions. Concern & listening is a great asset.”

Carol

“It was good talking to someone other than your family who understands what you were going through. My Specialist, Ariana was the sweetest, most caring person to discuss my condition with. Thank you Ariana.”

Betty

“Keep up the good work, I am the patient’s wife and caregiver. I found the specialist very concerned and supportive of my needs also. I talked to her about things I couldn’t or didn’t want to reveal to my family.”

Joanne

“Your representative was very patient and understanding of my situation. I felt much encouragement after speaking with her.”

Mike

“While we have a strong support network both emotionally and financially it still was helpful to ‘think out loud’ to an objective outsider and receive confirmation that we are making good decisions.”

Marie