Iris, the leading provider of Advance Care Planning (ACP) solutions for health plans and at-risk providers announces the launch of Empower, a self-guided online ACP application. The Iris Empower platform simplifies the ACP process with guiding prompts and supportive education. Auto-generated advance directives are shared with family members and health care providers with the click of a button. The Empower platform enables individuals who are healthy or early on in their patient journey to engage in healthcare decision-making, ensuring that they receive future care that aligns with their values and goals.
“Empower is an intuitive, user-friendly platform designed by doctors and ACP experts to produce high-quality, personalized plans. It allows individuals to think through, document, and communicate their personal care preferences and what matters most to them.” said Steve Wardle, Co-Founder and CEO of Iris. “This platform allows individuals to control their future care and reduce family conflicts over treatment options should a medical emergency arise.”
With increased regulatory focus on ACP, Empower is allowing health plans to meet their quality targets under value-based care programs, such as the CMS VBID program where advance care planning is a requirement. As the Coordinated Care Organization (CCO) that manages Medicaid for Douglas County, Oregon, Umpqua Health Alliance is leveraging the Empower platform to offer ACP to the general population of the county.
“Empower will benefit the entire community including other healthcare organizations in Oregon, not just Umpqua Health Alliance.” said Dr. Douglas Carr, Chief Medical Officer at Umpqua Health. “This platform allows us to close a significant gap in our community by providing universal access to ACP. Our goal is to help our residents retain control of their health care even when unexpected medical emergencies arise.”
About Iris
Iris partners with at-risk healthcare organizations to scale the delivery of Advance Care Planning across their member populations. Iris takes ownership of the integration and delivery of ACP, expanding access to Palliative Care and Hospice while keeping clinical teams informed. The Iris suite of solutions result in reduced utilization of unnecessary care, lower cost of care, improved healthcare quality and an enhanced member experience.
About UMPQUA Health
The Umpqua Health Alliance (UHA), is one of 15 coordinated care organizations (CCOs) in Oregon that has served members of the Oregon Health Plan (Medicaid) since 2012. UHA connects more than 32,000 Douglas County OHP members to physical, behavioral, oral, and dental care through an integrated network of providers.