For patients with a serious and life-threatening illness, conversations that provide them with the opportunity to make informed choices reflecting their goals, values and care preferences are an important process of their care. These discussions can help ensure seriously ill patients receive care that is consistent with their wishes and provide guidance to enhance family well-being and improve quality of life. To facilitate these difficult conversations, health care teams have access to tools such as the Serious Illness Care Program — a program drawn from best practices in palliative care that is a guide to help identify appropriate patients and conduct serious illness conversations at the right time and in the right way.

This webcast will discuss the important role of the health care team in initiating conversations with seriously ill patients and their families and making these conversations part of daily workflows, documentation and follow up. It will also review the implementation of the Serious Illness Care Program as a tool to help facilitate this process.

Learning Objectives
At the end of this educational activity, participants should be able to

• Define the role of the health care team, in particular primary care clinicians, in driving conversations with seriously ill patients and their families to enable them to make informed choices that reflect their values, reduce suffering and improve quality of life
• Identify barriers impeding communication and decision-making about goals of care with seriously ill patients
• Outline effective and appropriate communication strategies for seriously ill patients and their families including when and how to initiate these difficult conversations
• Evaluate the impact of the use of the Serious Illness Care Program within a health care organization and state how it provides guidance for the health care team to facilitate conversations in the right way and at the right time

Presenter
Rachelle E. Bernacki, MD, MS
Director of Quality Initiatives, Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute;
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School;
Associate Director, Serious Illness Care Program, Ariadne Labs
Boston, MA

About the Presenter
Dr. Rachelle Bernacki is the associate director of the Serious Illness Care Program at Ariadne Labs. In addition, Dr. Bernacki is director of Quality Initiatives, Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and is a faculty member at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Bernacki is board certified in palliative medicine, geriatrics and internal medicine. She is the recipient of two Geriatric Academic Career Awards from the Health Resources and Services Administration and is currently a Cambia Sojourns Leadership scholar. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine and the American Geriatrics Society. Dr. Bernacki received her BS from Cornell University; her MS from the University of Chicago, where she completed the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program; and her MD from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Disclosures of Relevant Financial Relationships
In accordance with the ACCME Standards for Commercial Support^SM, OptumHealth Education requires all those involved in the development of activity content to disclose their relevant financial relationships. An individual has a relevant financial relationship if such person (or his/her spouse/partner) has a financial relationship in any amount occurring in the last 12 months with a commercial interest whose products or services are discussed in the activity content over which the individual has control. OptumHealth Education ensures that the content is independent of commercial bias.

Faculty Disclosure
Rachelle E. Bernacki, MD, MS, has indicated that she has no relevant financial relationships.

Activity Planners
Sarah Chart-Hart, RN
Senior Director
OptumHealth Education

Rebecca Gleason, RN, CCM
Activity Manager
OptumHealth Education

Tina Rydland, PharmD
Crystal Clear Rx
Denver, Colorado

Activity Planner Disclosures
Ms. Chart and Ms. Gleason reported that they are employees of and own stock in UnitedHealth Group.
Dr. Rydland has indicated that she is a consultant for HAP Innovation.

Method of Participation
There are no fees for participating in or receiving credit for this activity.
For information on applicability and acceptance of continuing education credit for this activity, please consult your professional licensing board.

Participants will receive a certificate upon successful completion of the activity, which includes the following:

• Completing the entire activity
• Completing the Pre- and Post-activity Assessments, Activity Evaluation, and Application for Certificate of Credit forms

You must be logged into your account to participate in this activity. Get started by clicking “Begin” and viewing the “CE Info”; then follow the prompts at the bottom of the screen. At the end of the activity, you will be able to view, save or print your certificate of participation. The Area of Practice you indicated in your profile corresponds with your certificate type. A complete listing of all of your activities can be found under “My Account”, “My Activities.”

Accreditation Statement
In support of improving patient care, OptumHealth Education is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to provide continuing education for the health care team.

Credit Designation Statements
This activity was planned by and for the health care team, and learners will receive 1.00 Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credits for learning and change.
Nurses
The participant will be awarded up to 1.00 contact hour(s) of credit for attendance and completion of supplemental materials.

Nurse Practitioners
The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Program (AANPCP) accepts credit from organizations accredited by the ACCME and ANCC.

Pharmacists
This activity is approved for 1.00 contact hour(s) ([0.10] CEU) in states that recognize ACPE.
Attending the full program will earn 1.00 contact hour(s).
Unique Activity Number(s): 0860-0000-17-003-L04-P

Pharmacy Technicians
This activity is approved for 1.00 contact hour(s) ([0.10] CEU) in states that recognize ACPE.
Attending the full program will earn 1.00 contact hour(s).
Unique Activity Number(s): 0860-0000-17-003-L04-T

Physicians
OptumHealth Education designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

PAs
The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) accepts credit from organizations accredited by the ACCME.

AAPC-Certified Coders
AAPC will honor 1-for-1 CEUs for any live event offering CME credit or AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. A certificate of attendance or completion is necessary to show participation. The certificate will give the total CMEs possible for the offering. Physicians are advised to claim only the actual hours that they were present during the education. We ask that AAPC-certified members abide by this request also. One hour of instruction is worth 1 CEU.

Case Managers
The Commission for Case Manager Certification has approved this program for a maximum of 1.00 clock hour(s) for Certified Case Managers (CCM).

Psychologists, Social Workers, Counselors and/or Marriage and Family Therapists
This event is co-sponsored by R. Cassidy Seminars.

Satisfactory Completion
Participants must have attended the entire web-based activity and completed an evaluation in order to receive a certificate. Partial credit is not available.

Psychologists
R. Cassidy Seminars is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to offer continuing education for psychologists. R. Cassidy Seminars maintains responsibility for this program. 1.00 CE hour.

Social Workers
R. Cassidy Seminars, ACE provider #1082 is approved as a provider for social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) www.aswb.org, through the Approved Continuing Education (ACE) Program. Approval Period: April 15, 2015-April 15, 2018. R. Cassidy Seminars maintains responsibility for the program. Social workers should contact their regulatory board to determine course approval. Social workers will receive 1.00 continuing education clock hours in participating in this course.
CA: The Board of Behavioral Sciences has deferred CE course approvals to APA and ASWB for its licensees. See those approvals under Psychologists and Social Workers.
NY: R. Cassidy Seminars is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider (#0006) of continuing education for licensed social workers. This program is approved for 1 contact hours live.
OH: Provider approved by the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board for 1 clock hours, #RCST110701

Counselors and/or Marriage and Family Therapists
CA: The Board of Behavioral Sciences has deferred CE course approvals to APA and ASWB for its licensees. See those approvals under Psychologists and Social Workers.
IL: Illinois Dept. of Professional Regulation, Approved Continuing Education Sponsor, #168-000141.  (1) hours.
OH: Provider approved by the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board for (1) clock hours, #RCST110701
TX: Approved CE Sponsor through the Texas State Board of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists. Provider #151. 1 CE hour.
Other States: If your state is not specifically listed, nearly all state Counselor and MFT boards accept either APA or ASWB approval, or are reciprocal with other state licensing board approvals, such as those listed below. Check with your board to be sure. The Ohio Board includes Counselors and MFTs.

Disability Access
If you require ADA accommodations please contact our office 14 days or more before the event. We cannot ensure accommodations without adequate prior notification.

Please Note: Licensing Boards change regulations often and while we attempt to stay abreast of their most recent changes, if you have questions or concerns about this course meeting your specific board’s approval, we recommend you contact your board directly to obtain a ruling.

Attendance
A certificate of attendance will be provided to learners upon completion of activity requirements, enabling participants to register with licensing boards or associations that have not been pre-approved for credits. To apply for credit types not listed above, participants should use the procedure established by the specific organization with which they wish to obtain credit.

Provided By
This activity is provided by OptumHealth Education.

Commercial Support
This activity is supported by Optum Center for Palliative and Supportive Care.

Hardware/Software Requirements
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