It’s Time to Talk

We’re here to help you have rewarding conversations with your patients about their care goals, preferences, and wishes near the end of life.

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Your Patients Are Ready

VITAS Healthcare commissioned nationwide studies in 2021, 2022, and 2023 that found many Americans are open to talking about their wishes and values for end-of-life care.

The studies of 1,000 U.S. adults found that:

More than half of people (56%) say they know what kind of medical treatment they do and do not want at end of life. However, only about one in four (22%) say they have formally documented their wishes and values for end-of-life care.
Only about half of people (49%) know where to find information about documenting their end-of-life wishes and values.
People feel most comfortable having advance care planning conversations with their partner/spouse. However, clinicians play an important role in advance care planning, especially for communities of color and younger Americans.
- Hispanic (12%) and Asian (14%) Americans prefer to speak with a healthcare specialist (compared to 6% in general).
- Young people (18-34) were most likely to engage in end-of-life care planning if a trusted healthcare professional asked them to, at 32% versus 22% for those ages 35-54 and 18% for those ages 55 and older.

Suggesting Hospice to Your Patients with Advanced Illness

When a patient’s disease is incurable, or when life-prolonging treatment becomes ineffective, HCPs are confronted with the stressful task of communicating to patients that the end of life is near.

A VITAS provider talks with a patient and his spouse

7 Things to Know About Advance Directives for Your Patients

The trick to knowing what your chronically ill patients want near the end of life is to have the goals-of-care conversation early, regularly and matter-of-factly.

A physician talks with a man in an exam room

A Hospice Discussion Guide for Families

VITAS provides a free hospice discussion guide for your patients and their loved ones, so they can agree on plans that align with their goals, needs, and wishes.

A woman talks and smiles with relatives at a family gathering

Billing for Advance Care Planning

Physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners can bill Medicare for the time they spend in face-to-face discussions about advance care planning (ACP) and end-of-life care decisions with their patients or their patient’s beneficiaries/surrogate.