Baystate Health System-wide Advance Care Planning Initiative

Baystate Health nurses, care managers, physicians and community health professionals are asking all patients, across inpatient, primary care and community health settings, if they have appointed a Health Care Agent in a Health Care Proxy. This system-wide advance care planning initiative, led by our long-time partner, Jodi Kashouh, MS, RN-BC, CNL, Healthcare Quality Specialist and colleagues, uses the HCM Health Care Proxy (15 languages) and access to staff training. Their goal is to achieve 90% patient engagement to start a simple conversation, confirm or help complete a document, and scan the document into the EMR. Results show the Proxy is helpful in a medical emergency (Covid) and in preventing Guardianships. Adults can  access a Health Care Proxy through the Patient Portal.

• Thanks to  Tim Moriarty, MPA, CHI-Spanish, Manager, Interpreter & Translation Services Baystate Health for supporting translation of a Swahili, Nepali, Tagalog HCM Health Care Proxy!