Pre-Transplant Capture of Advance Directives Increased from 28% to 69%

Clinicians and staff can work with patients and help them with advance care planning to ensure their wishes are respected. Californians report that loved ones’ wishes are completely followed at the end of life only 44 percent of the time.

To supplement their care model, City of Hope introduced Epic tools to:

Prompt clinicians to discuss code status with patients.
Help clinicians document more detailed treatment preferences and use the appropriate billing codes.
Clearly show when comfort care for actively dying patients is initiated.

In just two years, City of Hope saw the advance directive completion rate for HSCT patients increase from 28.6 percent to 69.5 percent (2). As your organization develops a care model for advance care planning, you can use Epic tools similar to City of Hope to support your program and help ensure that patients’ wishes are known and respected throughout the continuum of care, especially in their last days.

This program was designed and implemented by Finly Zachariah, M.D., Assistant Clinical Professor of Palliative Medicine and Supportive Medicine, and his team at City of Hope.