Partnership Designed to Meet the Needs of Patients with Advanced Illnesses

inVentiv Medical Management (iMM), an inVentiv Health company and provider of best-in-class medical management services to the healthcare industry, today announced that it has formed a partnership with Vital Decisions to better serve the needs of payers, providers, and seriously ill patients nationwide. The joint offering will support patients by empowering them to be more proactive decision makers when it comes to their health, and, thereby, reduce the use of costly care that is medically inappropriate or unwanted by individuals with advanced illnesses.

Together, iMM and Vital Decisions – an Edison, New Jersey-based company that provides patient-centered behavioral counseling programs for those with advanced illnesses – will offer a unique care management and counseling program to individuals battling metastatic cancer, end-stage heart or lung disease, and progressive neurologic conditions, such as Alzheimer’s or Lou Gehrig’s disease (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis-ALS). The program is designed to encourage patients to work with their physicians and family members to make well-informed care decisions as their illnesses progress. inVentiv Medical Management case managers will provide patients with clinical advice, while Vital Decisions specialists will offer counseling support using the company’s proprietary “Living Well” program, which helps individuals with advanced illnesses communicate their quality-of-life preferences to those involved in their care.

“As their diseases progress, many patients with advanced illnesses receive care that they do not necessarily want or is medically inappropriate,” said Marc Palmer, CEO, iMM. “Vital Decisions’ commitment to patient needs and its care management goals so closely mirror our own. We believe that together we can empower patients to become more active decision makers when it comes to their health, help them get appropriate care and avoid much of the unnecessary physical and emotional pain associated with advanced illnesses.”

Mitchell Daitz, CEO, Vital Decisions, said: “Through this partnership, we expect to bring additional support to a population that has previously experienced significant value from inVentiv Medical Management’s Accountable Care Solutions and other clinical support services. We are committed to improving outcomes by proactively engaging with seriously ill patients and educating them about the options available to them.”