FAIR Health Awarded Grant to Expand Shared Decision-Making Efforts to Providers Serving Older Adults

NEW YORK, June 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Independent nonprofit FAIR Health announced today that it will embark on its next phase of promoting shared decision making (SDM) in healthcare discussions. With a generous grant from The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation (Samuels Foundation), FAIR Health will develop and disseminate a curriculum on SDM to providers and clinicians in New York City who serve older adults facing critical palliative care decisions. SDM, the discussion between patients and/or caregivers and healthcare providers regarding various treatment options, has been known to increase patient engagement and reduce healthcare costs.

The new initiative marks the next chapter of FAIR Health's efforts to promote SDM to consumers. Earlier this year, in March, FAIR Health launched a groundbreaking SDM website feature on fairhealthconsumer.org, FAIR Health's free, award-winning consumer website that enables consumers to estimate the typical costs of medical and dental procedures in their geographic areas and learn the fundamentals of health insurance. The SDM feature combines clinical and cost information to support seriously and chronically ill patients and their caregivers in the process of SDM with clinicians for palliative care scenarios for:

• Kidney dialysis for patients with kidney failure (whether to continue or stop);
• Nutrition options when swallowing is difficult; and
• Breathing assistance (whether to continue or stop).

The new online curriculum, which FAIR Health will develop with the significant input of experts in palliative care and SDM, will offer guidance on integrating SDM in discussions with patients and caregivers when making decisions related to palliative care. FAIR Health will subsequently disseminate the curriculum to provider organizations and clinicians such as physicians, nurses and social workers in New York City who serve the older adult population.

FAIR Health President Robin Gelburd stated: "We are truly honored by the generous support of the Samuels Foundation, a renowned New York City-based philanthropy. Through this initiative, FAIR Health will build on our existing efforts to bring SDM to consumers by focusing on educating providers who serve older adults. The initiative is a natural extension of our commitment to serving all healthcare stakeholders and equipping consumers with the tools they need to navigate the healthcare system."

Lauren G. Weisenfeld, Deputy Director of the Healthy Aging Program at the Samuels Foundation, commented: "Older adults in New York City with serious illnesses and their caregivers often face critical decisions when weighing options for palliative care. The Samuels Foundation is proud to support FAIR Health's efforts to promote shared decision making through a comprehensive curriculum aimed at providers and clinicians who serve older adults in New York City?an initiative that will simultaneously build upon FAIR Health's existing efforts in SDM and enrich the existing portfolio of programs that the Samuels Foundation supports."

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About FAIR Health
FAIR Health, a national, independent nonprofit organization that qualifies as a public charity under section 501(c)(3) of the tax code, is dedicated to bringing transparency to healthcare costs and health insurance information through data products, consumer resources and health systems research support. FAIR Health possesses the nation's largest collection of private healthcare claims data, which includes over 31 billion claim records contributed by payors and administrators who insure or process claims for private insurance plans covering more than 150 million individuals. FAIR Health licenses its privately billed data and data products?including benchmark modules, data visualizations, custom analytics and market indices?to commercial insurers and self-insurers, employers, providers, hospitals and healthcare systems, government agencies, researchers and others. Certified by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as a national Qualified Entity, FAIR Health also receives data representing the experience of all individuals enrolled in traditional Medicare Parts A, B and D; FAIR Health houses data on Medicare Advantage enrollees in its private claims data repository. FAIR Health can produce insightful analytic reports and data products based on combined Medicare and commercial claims data for government, providers, payors and other authorized users. FAIR Health's systems for processing and storing protected health information have earned HITRUST CSF certification and achieved AICPA SOC 2 compliance by meeting the rigorous data security requirements of these standards. As a testament to the reliability and objectivity of FAIR Health data, the data have been incorporated in statutes and regulations around the country and designated as the official, neutral data source for a variety of state health programs, including workers' compensation and personal injury protection (PIP) programs. FAIR Health data serve as an official reference point in support of certain state balance billing laws that protect consumers against bills for surprise out-of-network and emergency services. FAIR Health also uses its database to power a free consumer website available in English and Spanish and an English/Spanish mobile app, which enable consumers to estimate and plan for their healthcare expenditures and offer a rich educational platform on health insurance. The website has been honored by the White House Summit on Smart Disclosure, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), URAC, the eHealthcare Leadership Awards, appPicker, Employee Benefit News and Kiplinger's Personal Finance. FAIR Health also is named a top resource for patients in Dr. Marty Makary's book The Price We Pay: What Broke American Health Care?and How to Fix It and Elisabeth Rosenthal's book An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back. For more information on FAIR Health, visit fairhealth.org.

About The Samuels Foundation
The mission of The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation's Healthy Aging Program is to improve the health care and overall quality of life for New York City's older adults. Our success will be measured by the positive impact that the program has on their lives. The Foundation's Healthy Aging Program aims to improve the way health and social services are delivered by providing support for innovative, effective, efficient and caring organizations. 

Contact:
Dean Sicoli
Chief Communications Officer
FAIR Health
646-664-1645
[email protected]

SOURCE FAIR Health