Area Health Care Providers Working Together To Promote Advance Care Planning in West Michigan

A collaborative group of West Michigan health care leaders is seeking to improve and promote advanced care planning in the region. The group is working to ensure that patients are educated and supported in making decisions that determine their care and that those decisions are respected and followed.

The organizations are working together to drive a community-wide process in making this planning an integral part of the health care process. It will be a multi-tiered process that supporters hope will improve the quality of care, increase patients’ satisfaction with their care and make health care more efficient.

This approach encompasses educating patients, providers, families and the community about options concerning chronic or end-of-life care services before a health crisis occurs. Key elements of this process include having skilled clinical staff available to discuss options, making sure plans are clear, having uniform documents used by all health care providers, having the technology to easily store and retrieve documents and ensuring that patients’ decisions are followed.

One of the primary groups working to bring this approach to health care in West Michigan is the Michigan Center for Clinical Systems Improvement (Mi-CCSI). The organization was created to facilitate collaboration among health care providers, payers, purchasers and the people receiving care in the region with a goal of promoting ways of providing healthcare that improves patient’s health and lowers per capita costs.

Provider organizations represented on the Mi-CCSI Board of Directors are Borgess Health, Mercy Health entities – Advantage Health Physician Network & Lakeshore Health Network, Metro Health and Spectrum Health System. Payer organizations include Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Blue Care Network and Priority Health.

“We need to implement a model in West Michigan that begins a dialogue with patients and ensures their wishes are followed regardless of where they receive care,” said Richard C. Breon, president and CEO of Spectrum Health. “I’m pleased to be working closely with Mercy Health and other health care organizations to develop a uniform approach in West Michigan.”

Roger Spoelman, Regional Executive for Mercy Health shares “It is the mission of Mercy Health to build healthier communities. We do this through all phases of life. Although most families hope to never need an Advance Directive, we have seen firsthand how smoothly care flows for those who have had discussions prior to a crisis. We look forward to partnering with Spectrum Health and other partners to increase awareness and preparation of Advance Care Planning in West Michigan.”

Healthcare organizations often find individuals have completed an advance directive but it is not readily available in an emergency situation. This finding was corroborated by a 2008 Health and Human Services study which noted less than 50 percent of patients facing end stage illness had made their wishes known via a detailed advanced directive. Families who have planned ahead and discussed their wishes before emotions and stress arise, feel empowered, more informed and better prepared for this type of situation. The health systems encourage patients to have this conversation with their physician to address their wishes.

Respecting Choices, a nationally recognized leader in advanced care planning, notes advance care planning is a process that goes far beyond drafting a document. Successful planning involves community engagement, professional education and organization and community standards of practice.

“Connecting these key organizations and coordinating with other community, regional and statewide efforts over the next several years will create a consistent approach, increased document accessibility, and empower healthcare consumers with greater influence on their own care throughout our region,” states Paul D. Ponstein, DO, President for Mi-CCSI.