What happens when a patient has no family or friends to speak for them in a health crisis? In Massachusetts, a first-of-its-kind solution is ensuring that no patient goes unheard. The Health Care Agent Matching Program, described in a new open-access article co-authored by David N. Sontag, JD, MBE, HEC-C and a multidisciplinary team, matches "unrepresented" individuals—those with no one to act as a health care agent—with specially trained volunteers.
Inspired in part by MBE alum Fiona Pat's capstone project, "Medical Decision Making for the Unrepresented: Recommendations for a Healthcare Proxy Volunteer Program," and supported by the Massachusetts Coalition for Serious Illness Care, this innovative program helps patients clarify their wishes while still able, and ensures someone is ready to support them if needed. The approach addresses troubling gaps in care, from unwanted overtreatment to admission barriers at post-acute facilities, and offers a scalable model for communities nationwide.
"We hope this work will inspire others to find ways (through a program like ours or otherwise) to ensure that patients who have nobody in their lives to name as their health care agents, some of the most vulnerable members of our communities, nonetheless have a voice in the health care they receive even after they lose decision-making capacity." - David Sontag
The article outlines how the program was developed, the challenges it addresses for unrepresented patients, and the key elements that make it effective. It serves as a valuable resource for organizations interested in supporting patient autonomy in complex care situations.
Read the full article, "Finding representation for the unrepresented patient: Creating a volunteer health care agent matching program in Massachusetts," in HealthCare: The Journal of Delivery Science and Innovation.