Vital Decisions Revolutionary Program Empowering Advanced Illness Patients Featured in Benefits Magazine

Benefits Magazine has chosen Vital Decisions Living Well Program for their June cover story, online in May. High Quality Communication Critical for Advanced Illness Patients, written by Chief Revenue Officer, Matthew Patella describes the many issues faced today by patients with advanced illness and their families.

“Powerful cultural, religious or other deep-seated behavioral barriers can complicate communication during advanced illness. Years of family dynamics get in the way, along with behavioral issues, such as fear, anxiety, denial and guilt. Those issues, if not adequately dealt with, can cause the patient to endure prolonged and often extreme discomfort while family members struggle in indecision,” says Patella.

More than 80% of advanced illness patients wish to die at home and less than 20% achieve this goal. In an effort to improve the last months of life for advanced illness patients, Vital Decisions created The Living Well Program. This revolutionary program empowers and assists advanced illness patients to communicate their wishes to family and physicians. Through telephonic counseling sessions, behavioral counselors specially trained in end-of-life discussions speak with advanced illness patients during the last six to nine months of life. Counselors discuss patients’ goals and wishes and offer them the tools to communicate those wishes to physicians and family.

“Often, patients with six months or less to live, if provided with options of aggressive versus palliative care, will choose comfort and quality time with loved ones rather than extensive and extreme treatment,” says Patella. “To increase the quality of life for chronically ill patients, as well as markedly decrease health plan costs, it is necessary to reform how people with advanced illness are cared for.” A copy of the article can be found here.