Not Your Typical Phone Call

We get calls of all types, on our cell phones and for those of us who still have them, our land lines. Imagine a phone call offering you counseling on end of life options. Sound far-fetched? Not so much for some. Kaiser Health News (KHN) ran a story in late August,  Operator? Business, Insurer Take On End-of-Life Issues By Phone. The article describes a company  “Vital Decisions… [where] [a]fter sending a letter (people rarely respond) counselors essentially cold-call to offer what they describe as “nondirected” end-of-life counseling” to those who are quite ill.  The company uses social workers to make the calls, which are short (about 15 minutes). Here’s what the program is designed to achieve:

to build a relationship over the phone, [with the patient] so [the patient] might be comfortable discussing his situation and his goals. Then he’ll be empowered to communicate those things with others, including his family and his doctors. He could also choose to allow the counselor to talk to his doctors or family directly. It’s paid for by insurers and federal privacy rules permit this for business purposes.

According to Vital Decision’s CEO, the goal is to facilitate discussions about end of life care and empower the patient’s decision-making.  “The goal is for patients to receive care in those final months that aligns with what the patient wants, even if that’s the most aggressive treatment available.” Some are skeptical of this phone approach because of the lack of in-person interaction and the challenges to remain neutral, which is why one expert calls for “full transparency from insurers and the company to guard against bias in the sessions.”