Each year on April 16, National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD) highlights the importance of advance care planning and aligning care with patient goals and values.
For AAHPM members, this day reflects the heart of our work. Hospice and palliative care clinicians are uniquely positioned to lead meaningful conversations that help patients and families navigate complex decisions and ensure care is goal concordant across settings.
Advance care planning is an ongoing process that relies on trust, clinical skill, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Effective planning requires clear documentation that follows patients across settings and systems designed to support these conversations over time.
AAHPM offers resources to support clinicians in this work, including:
- AAHPM PC‑FACS: Advance Care Planning — Coaches Activating, Reaching, and Engaging Patients to Engage in Advance Care Planning
- Education & Events — courses and tools that strengthen communication and serious illness care skills
- palliativedoctors.org — patient‑facing resources to support education and shared decision‑making
NHDD is an opportunity to recognize the skill, compassion, and leadership required for effective advance care planning and to reflect on how our teams and systems support this essential work. Whether through patient conversations, mentoring, education, or advocacy, each effort contributes to high‑quality, patient‑centered care. This April 16, we invite you to pause, reflect, and renew your commitment to advancing care that honors what matters most to patients and families.