Session 52 | Advanced Care Planning in SNFs: Moving Beyond Checkboxes to Meaningful Outcomes
Day: Wednesday, July 29 Time: 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Type/Topic: Quality/Person-Centered Care Practices
Session Summary
Advance Care Planning (ACP) in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) is often reduced to documentation requirements rather than used as a powerful tool to guide care. This session reframes ACP as an ongoing, patient-centered process that aligns clinical decision-making with individual goals, values, and prognosis. Attendees will explore how to move beyond compliance-driven checklists to conduct meaningful conversations, engage families effectively, and integrate ACP into daily clinical workflows. The session will address common barriers in SNFs, including time constraints, staff discomfort, fragmented communication, and misalignment with hospital partners. Through practical strategies and real-world examples, attendees will learn how thoughtful ACP can improve quality of life, reduce unwanted interventions, strengthen trust with families, and support more appropriate care transitions.
Presenters
Andres Vallejo
Chief Medical Officer | Spectrum Medical Partners
About the Presenter
As an Attending Physician, Andres provides quality patient care to diverse populations exclusively in the Post-Acute Care industry, long-term care, skilled nursing, and assisted living settings. For the past 7 years, he has built a proven track record of improving patient outcomes, satisfaction, and safety, as well as collaborating with multi-disciplinary teams. Andres strongly believes that doing ordinary things extraordinarily well will take their team a long way and ultimately will benefit their patients. If they as a team, share the philosophy of caring for others and bringing the best to their daily decisions by being intentional about their actions, then optimal care is guaranteed. He holds an MD degree from Universidad de la Sabana in Bogota, Colombia and post Doctorate and Residency from New York University, where he gained valuable skills and knowledge in Internal Medicine, Project Management, and Patient Assessment. He is passionate about advancing the field of Post-Acute Care and enhancing the quality of life of his patients. He is extremely grateful and honored to be a part of this remarkable group of professionals and looks forward to collaborating and effectively supporting the development and needs of their Post-Acute Care partners.