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Engaging Older Adults in Healthcare Decisions

FAIR Health, a renowned independent nonprofit organization, has recently introduced a groundbreaking initiative aimed at assisting older adults and their family caregivers in navigating the complexities of healthcare decision-making. Supported by funding from The John A. Hartford Foundation, this initiative culminated in the launch of a dedicated online platform called FAIR Health for Older Adults.

Understanding FAIR Health for Older Adults

This user-friendly resource is available in both English and Spanish, making it accessible to a broader audience. The primary goal of this platform is to provide older individuals and their caregivers with condition-specific tools that facilitate shared decision-making in healthcare. These tools include valuable resources for assessing treatment options, understanding clinical information, and considering associated costs. By equipping families with the necessary information, FAIR Health aims to promote informed and confident healthcare choices.

Shared decision-making stands at the heart of this initiative, empowering patients and caregivers to collaborate effectively with their healthcare providers. This collaborative approach prioritizes patient preferences and values, ensuring that decisions reflect what matters most to them. Recent feedback has shown that these resources significantly aid older patients and their families during their healthcare discussions.

Key Features of the Initiative

The FAIR Health initiative offers a wide variety of resources, including:

• - Condition-Specific Tools: Information tailored to critical health conditions such as hip osteoarthritis and fast-growing prostate cancer.
• - Cost Insights: FH® Total Treatment Cost tools that encompass the overall financial implications of conditions like Alzheimer's disease and heart failure.
• - Educational Resources: Checklists and toolkits designed for patients and caregivers, alongside informative articles detailing insurance basics and various health topics.

These resources have received positive recognition from patients, caregivers, and health professionals alike, indicating their effectiveness in fostering informed discussions about care options.

Outreach and Collaborations

As part of its Healthy Decisions for Healthy Aging campaign, FAIR Health has successfully reached over 21 million individuals across the nation since January 2024. The collaboration with prominent clinical institutions—namely, the University of Pennsylvania, The Ohio State University, Emory University, and the University of Rochester Medical Center—further enhances this initiative's effectiveness. These establishments, recognized as Age-Friendly Health Systems, are actively integrating FAIR Health's tools to optimize discussions about treatment options and financial considerations.

Early results demonstrate significant benefits from these collaborations, enhancing trust and understanding between patients and caregivers during complex medical discussions while also increasing clinical efficiency.

Future Developments

Looking ahead, FAIR Health is set to launch an additional shared decision-making tool focusing on Alzheimer's disease early next year, furthering the resource offered to families affected by this condition. This new section will include various checklists and articles aimed at educating families regarding their care options and associated costs.

Robin Gelburd, the President of FAIR Health, expressed enthusiasm regarding the initiative, stating, “Our tools not only provide comprehensive insights into care options, but they also help families navigate the healthcare system.” Rani E. Snyder, the Vice President of Programs at The John A. Hartford Foundation, added, “We are delighted to support FAIR Health in providing essential resources for older adults to make decisions that align with their values.”

Accessing the Resources

Individuals wishing to explore these free resources and educational materials can do so by visiting FAIR Health for Older Adults. For those preferring Spanish, the translated version is also available. Through initiatives like these, FAIR Health demonstrates its commitment to promoting transparency in healthcare, ensuring that older adults have the tools they need to make informed decisions for their health and well-being.

FAIR Health continues to be a leader in healthcare transparency, holding the nation’s largest collection of commercial healthcare claims data, which is instrumental in improving healthcare access and understandability for all consumers. For additional insights into FAIR Health and its initiatives, please visit fairhealth.org.