Understanding, implementing, and safeguarding advance directives for patient safety.
Advance directives—including living wills, DNR orders, and POLST forms—are critical tools for respecting patient autonomy. Yet, confusion and misinterpretation remain significant sources of patient safety risk and legal liability.
This program provides practical guidance for attorneys, healthcare providers, and risk managers on navigating these challenges. Participants will explore real-world examples, understand common points of error, and learn strategies to ensure advance directives are interpreted correctly and applied safely.
Gain actionable insights to reduce patient harm, improve compliance, and manage legal and ethical risks in advance care planning.
 Key learning outcomes include:
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CEO/CMO | USACS
Ferdinando Mirarchi, DO, is the Chief Executive officer and Chief Medical officer of US ACS MIDEO, LLC. He has recently been appointed to the chairman position of the National Palliative Care Committee for USACS. He is the Principal Investigator of the TRIAD Research Series (The Realistic Interpretation of Advance Directives). The results of his TRIAD research have been featured in the NY Times, Washington POST, Boston Herald, and many more nationally syndicated outlets. The TRIAD research has confirmed that there is a new nationwide and global patient safety risk related to confusion surrounding living wills, DNR & POLST orders. His TRIAD research has also set the foundation for the development and utilization of a state-of-the-art, evidence-based patient safety solution called MIDEO (My Informed Decision on VidEO). MIDEO has been structured to be both a Video Advance Directive and a portable physician medical Order that is prescriptive, clarifies existing documents, and is retrievable in seconds. Dr. Mirarchi serves and a reviewer for many nationally peer-reviewed scientific journals such as CHEST and JAGS as well as is an Editorial Board Member for Patient Safety Magazine. He is the author of Understanding Your Living Will; What You Need to Know before a Medical Emergency, published by Addicus Books. He is a fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians and a fellow of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine. Previously he served as the Medical Director of the UPMC Hamot Emergency Department in Erie, Pennsylvania, and was the Chief of Emergency Services for UPMC’s Northern Tier of Emergency Services, Chairman of the UPMC Hamot Physician Network Governance Council as well as the Chair of Medical Ethics.
