In 2016, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) began reimbursing for advance care planning (ACP) as a payable service for traditional Medicare beneficiaries. This service reimburses the face-to-face time a physician or other qualified health care professional spends with a patient, family member or surrogate to explain/discuss advance directives.
Conversations allow discussions on the care patients may want to receive if they unable to speak for themselves. The timing and nature of the conversation may vary depending on patient’s health. Ideally, this conversation should be proactive and appropriately timed considering the patient’s culture which may drive specific medical treatment.
Unfortunately, many patients are faced with medical decision making at a time they lack this capacity. Families may be faced with this decisional dilemma, unclear of the intentions of the patient. Quality of life and health care cost come into play in these situations.
In this live webinar, presented by Karen Smith, MD, PA, learn how to implement this Medicare-payable service to position your practice for success in value-based payment models and improve your patients' quality of life and satisfaction.
Advance Care Planning: Communicating End-of-Life Decisions
Members Only
Presenting Faculty
After completing this activity, you should be able to:
Estimated time required to complete the full webcast: 60 minutes
Dr. Karen Smith is the owner of a solo family practice clinic in Raeford, North Carolina providing acute, chronic, and preventative services from birth to end of life. She became involved in all levels of the North Carolina Academy of Family Physicians (NCAFP) and was president in 2005. Roles at the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) include participant and past chair of the Commission on Quality and Practice, and she currently serves on Governmental Affairs. Other affiliations include North Carolina Medical Society and, for over thirteen, she has been a member of the Division of Medical Assistance Advisory Board and the North Carolina Institute of Medicine.
The material presented here is being made available by the American Academy of Family Physicians for educational purposes only. Please note that medical information is constantly changing; the information contained in this activity was accurate at the time of publication. This material is not intended to represent the only, nor necessarily best, methods or procedures appropriate for the medical situations discussed. Rather, it is intended to present an approach, view, statement, or opinion of the faculty, which may be helpful to others who face similar situations.
The AAFP disclaims any and all liability for injury or other damages resulting to any individual using this material and for all claims that might arise out of the use of the techniques demonstrated therein by such individuals, whether these claims shall be asserted by a physician or any other person. Physicians may care to check specific details such as drug doses and contraindications, etc., in standard sources prior to clinical application. This material might contain recommendations/guidelines developed by other organizations. Please note that although these guidelines might be included, this does not necessarily imply the endorsement by the AAFP.