An Employer Health Incentive Plan for Advance Care Planning and Goal-Aligned Care.

Publication Title

Popul Health Manag

Authors

Matthew J Gonzales, Institute for Human Caring , Providence St. Joseph Health, Torrance, CaliforniaFollow
Jeff Dobro
Katy Guilfoile
Keegan Fisher, Human Resources, Providence St. Joseph Health , Renton, WashingtonFollow
Ira Byock, Institute for Human Caring, Providence St. Joseph Health, Torrance, California.Follow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

8-1-2018

Keywords

Advance Care Planning; Advance Directives; Decision Making; Employee Incentive Plans; Goals; Health Planning; Humans; Motivation

Abstract

One strategy to promote workforce well-being has been health incentive plans, in which a company's insured employees are offered compensation for completing a particular health-related activity. In 2015, Providence Health & Services adopted an Advance Care Planning (ACP) activity as a 2015-2016 health incentive option. More than 51,000 employees and their insured relatives chose the ACP incentive option. More than 80% rated the experience as helpful or very helpful. A high proportion (95%) of employees responded that they had someone they trusted who could make medical care decisions for them, yet only 23% had completed an advance directive, and even fewer (11%) had shared the document with their health care provider. The most common reason given for not completing an advance directive was that health care providers had never asked about it. These findings suggest that an insured employee incentive plan can encourage ACP consistent with the health care organizations' values and strategic priorities.

Specialty/Research Institute

Biomedical Ethics

Specialty/Research Institute

Health Care Administration