Vital Decisions LLC
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Vital Decisions Program Recognized as a Health Management Best Practice by URAC
Living Well Program Solves Challenges Associated with Delivering Effective End of Life Care
Millburn, NJ. April 9, 2009
— "Vital Decisions was awarded an Honorable Mention for Health Management by leading health care accreditation organization, URAC. The honor was announced at the 2009 Best Practices in Health Care Consumer Empowerment and Protection Awards Gala on April 1-2 in Orlando, Florida. The awards are designed to recognize innovative leadership and successful programs in consumer centric health care management.
Vital Decisions was honored for its Living Well Program which significantly enhances informed patient decision-making during advanced illness. The program uses a proprietary counseling methodology to help individuals and families facing serious illness identify, communicate and incorporate their preferences and priorities into care decisions.
"We are honored to receive this recognition. Our patient centered counseling focuses on eliciting patient priorities and values and enabling the patient to integrate their preferences into care decisions. This results in improved satisfaction, decreased pain and suffering, and lower utilization of health services. We are proud to be partnering with a number of health care plan industry leaders to improve the nation's health care delivery system," said Mitchell Daitz, CEO of Vital Decisions.
70 submissions were evaluated by a 27-member panel of prestigious, independent judges including experts in program evaluation, care coordination, health information technology, employer and purchaser decision making and patient safety.
"Our Best Practices awards program is a unique celebration of the best the health care industry has to offer. These companies have made a difference in the lives of consumers by implementing leading-edge programs with results that matter," said Alan P. Spielman, president and CEO of URAC. "At a time when health care reform is in the spotlight, achievements from companies like Vital Decisions are even more important."
About Vital Decisions
Vital Decisions is the leader in providing health care counseling services to individuals and their families who are facing serious medical situations. Their proprietary counseling methodology, called the Living Well Program, enables patients to become more active participants in identifying, communicating and incorporating their individual preferences and priorities into current and future decisions about their care. For more information, visit www.vitaldecisions.net
About URAC
URAC, an independent, nonprofit organization, is well known as a leader in promoting health care quality through its accreditation, education and measurement programs. URAC offers a wide range of quality benchmarking programs and services that keep pace with the rapid changes in the health care system, and provide a symbol of excellence for organizations to validate their commitment to quality and accountability. Through its broad-based governance structure and an inclusive standards development process, URAC ensures that all stakeholders are represented in establishing meaningful quality measures for the entire health care industry. For more information, visit www.urac.org.