Blue Cross Members with Advanced Illnesses to Receive Enhanced Benefits

BOSTON — Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts announced the launch of a comprehensive program aimed at improving quality of life for individuals and families facing advanced illnesses and the end of life.

“Nothing is more personal and difficult than the decisions people have to make when they face an advanced illness,” said Andrew Dreyfus, Blue Cross president and CEO. “Our new Complete Care for Advanced Illness program is designed to enhance patient-clinician communication during those critical times and to support high-quality, compassionate care that honors people’s values and preferences.”

Beginning in 2016, Blue Cross will:

• Expand coverage for conversations between members and their clinicians about planning for advanced illness and end-of-life care. Blue Cross already pays medical providers for having these conversations and will now also pay behavioral-health providers in recognition of the important role they can play in facilitating difficult discussions;

• Support increased education and training on how to prepare for advanced illness and end-of-life care, with initiatives aimed at Blue Cross members, their families, and the clinicians who care for them;

• Enhance member benefits to encourage earlier and expanded use of hospice care; and

• Introduce a new program to help members with advanced illness receive high-quality palliative care for the prevention and relief of suffering in their own homes. The program is being developed with input from clinicians and patients and families.

Research has shown that timely advanced illness care, with a strong emphasis on patient-clinician communication, can result in better quality of life and satisfaction as reported by patients and families, better coping by bereaved family members, care that is more aligned with a patients’ wishes, a greater likelihood of remaining safely at home, and even some increase in survival time.