Advance care planning allows your patients to document their health care preferences when facing serious illness to ensure their wishes are fulfilled. However, according to research, only about 37 percent of adults have completed any advance care planning.* This process is important for all patients – not just those facing serious illness or at the end-of-life. Traditionally, patients are presented with a checklist for advance care planning and little explanation or support. This often leads to a hasty, uninformed completion which can lead to unwanted treatment and tension among family members at the end of life.

Koda Health: Free advance care planning

As of January 1, 2024** all of your patients with Cigna Healthcare Medicare Advantage plans have access to a digital tool, developed by Koda Health, to help them proactively navigate end-of-life conversations and communicate their health care decisions by creating shareable living wills and medical power-of attorney documents. 

The solution is easy to use and compliant with local laws. And because the advance directives and medical power of attorney are created on a digital platform, the documents are shareable with doctors and family members and can be quickly updated, as needed. In addition, if your patient has a new provider or health plan, they will continue to be able to access their documents and share them with family, caregivers, and providers.

Koda Health makes advance care planning easy for your patients

The Koda Health tool consists of three basic elements:***

• A patient-facing web application that captures responses and helps people generate key state specific legal documents that are shareable with all parties involved in the patient’s care. 
• A digital engagement piece that sends nudges through email, text, and other electronic media to keep the patient moving forward or to call if they need help. 

Koda’s care navigators are available to answer patient questions and to assist your patients with completing their advance directive if needed.

Educate your patients about advance care planning

We encourage you to remind your patients with Cigna Healthcare Medicare Advantage plans that the Koda Health advance care planning tool is available to them, free of charge, as part of their medical benefit plan. They can get started by going to the Koda Health website (app.kodahealthcare.com/cigna).

* Kuldeep N. Yadav, et al. “Approximately One In Three US Adults Completes Any Type of Advance Directive For End-Of-Life Care.” Health Affairs. July 2017. Retrieved from https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/full/10.1377/hlthaff.2017.0175. 
** Introduced last year to customers with dual-eligible special needs plans (D-SNPs).
*** Jesse Floyd. “Koda Health, Cigna Partnership Aims to Expand Advance Care planning for MA Beneficiaries.” Hospice News. 22 May 2023. Retrieved from https://hospicenews.com/2023/05/22/koda-health-cigna-partnership-aims-to-expand-advance-care-planning-for-ma-beneficiaries/.