Massachusetts Coalition for Serious Illness Care

Name

Massachusetts Coalition for Serious Illness Care

Legal name

Massachusetts Coalition for Serious Illness Care

Website

https://maseriouscare.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Healthcare Advocacy Services

NAICS

Social Assistance (624), Individual and Family Services (6241), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Health Care and Social Assistance (62)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Patient Advocacy, Navigation & Access to Care (BPAGACAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Health, Prevention & Health Education (BPAGACAC), Health Equity, Access & Social Determinants Programs (BPAIAJAO), Care Management & Care Coordination (Home & Community-Based) (HLAFAEAL), Care Transitions Management (Hospital/SNF-to-Home) (HSABAIAC)

Keywords

• Advance care planning
• Serious illness care
• Palliative care advocacy
• Healthcare coalition
• Patient-centered care

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Coalition Membership and Funder Contributions: The Coalition operates as a nonprofit coalition funded by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and various sponsoring organizations. Revenue comes from membership contributions and grant funding from foundations including The John A. Hartford Foundation, Cambia Health Foundation, and others for specific research initiatives.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Massachusetts Coalition for Serious Illness Care convenes 135+ healthcare organizations, medical schools, community groups, and policymakers across Massachusetts to advance serious illness care through collaborative programs, research, advocacy, and education. Core offerings include the Health Care Agent Matching Program (matching unrepresented patients with volunteer health care proxies), the MOLST-to-POLST transition initiative (supporting Massachusetts' shift to electronic end-of-life documentation), the Massachusetts Medical Schools Collaborative (integrating serious illness communication into curricula), and the e-MOLST Web Portal (an electronic advance care planning tool built with Ariadne Labs and powered by Vynca).

Product overview

The Massachusetts Coalition for Serious Illness Care operates as a collaborative coalition rather than a single product company. Its portfolio consists of multiple interconnected programs: the Health Care Agent Matching Program addresses unrepresented patients through volunteer proxy matching; the MOLST to POLST Transition Program supports Massachusetts' shift to electronic end-of-life documentation; the Massachusetts Patient and Community Review Board elevates community voices in research; and the Medical Schools Collaborative advances clinician education. Supporting these programs are digital tools like the e-MOLST Web Portal (powered by Vynca) and resources like the 'What Matters to Me' Workbook. The Coalition also organizes convenings and forums for stakeholder engagement across Massachusetts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Health Care Agent Matching Program A volunteer-based program that matches unrepresented patients at participating healthcare organizations (Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Commonwealth Care Alliance, Hebrew SeniorLife) with volunteer health care agents who can represent their healthcare decisions. Addresses the gap of patients without designated proxies and includes a toolkit with conversation guides, health care proxy forms, and operational resources for replication.
• MOLST to POLST Transition Program A statewide initiative to transition Massachusetts from paper-based MOLST (Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment) to POLST (Portable Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment) electronic form and statewide electronic registry. The Coalition provides advisory support, stakeholder engagement, and best practice recommendations through the MOLST-to-POLST Advisory Group.
• Massachusetts Patient and Community Review Board A board organized in partnership with Patient Advocate Foundation that provides a space for community members to share insights and experience with healthcare researchers and program developers, ensuring health systems invest in research serving community needs. Part of the Coalition's equity-focused community engagement strategy.
• Massachusetts Medical Schools Collaborative A collaborative bringing together faculty from all four Massachusetts medical schools (Boston University, Harvard, Tufts, UMass Chan) to advance serious illness communication education and curriculum development. Led by Dr. Jennifer Reidy, includes partnership with VitalTalk for faculty development and is part of the broader Coalition initiative with the Massachusetts Association of Colleges of Nursing (MACN).
• e-MOLST Web Portal An electronic web portal created to support providers in engaging in advance care planning with patients. Developed in partnership with Ariadne Labs and Honoring Choices Massachusetts, powered by Vynca technology. Used as part of the MOLST-to-POLST transition to enable electronic documentation of end-of-life care preferences.
• 'What Matters to Me' Workbook A workbook developed by Ariadne Labs and The Conversation Project to help patients prepare for conversations with healthcare providers about their goals, values, and preferences for care. Used as a resource for consumer engagement in serious illness care planning.
• Serious Illness Care Education Forum A virtual forum series bringing faculty from across Massachusetts together to learn about new developments in serious illness care undergraduate medical education and catalyze collaboration across institutions. Part of the Medical Schools Collaborative initiative.
• Health Care Agent Matching Toolkit A toolkit containing resources developed for the Health Care Agent Matching Program, including conversation guides, health care proxy forms, and operational materials, made available for other organizations interested in developing similar programs. Published in conjunction with the Health Care Journal article.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 50 unrepresented patients matched with volunteer health care agents, helping avoid costly guardianships and delays in care decisions
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• VitalTalkmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Partner for the Medical Schools Collaborative Faculty Development Program, providing communication skills training for faculty from four Massachusetts medical schools.
• Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Part of the Medical Schools Collaborative bringing together faculty to build a community of clinician-educators committed to serious illness communication excellence.
• Harvard Medical SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Part of the Medical Schools Collaborative. Atul Gawande serves as a visionary founder of the Coalition.
• Tufts University School of MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Part of the Medical Schools Collaborative bringing together faculty for serious illness communication education.
• UMass Chan Medical SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Part of the Medical Schools Collaborative. Dr. Jennifer Reidy serves as Chair of the Collaborative and Chief of Palliative Care at UMass Memorial Medical Center.
• Hebrew SeniorLifemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026New partner for the Health Care Agent Matching Program expansion, joining BIDMC and CCA in matching unrepresented patients with volunteer HCAs.
• Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Coalition collaborator on the My Health Checklist initiative. Maureen Bisognano (founder) serves as Coalition co-chair.
• Patient Advocate FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partnership to organize the Massachusetts Patient and Community Review Board, providing a space for community members to share insights with healthcare researchers and program developers.
• Elder Life DirectionsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Member organization founded by Judy Dovev, offering eldercare consulting with expertise in solo agers, LGBTQ+ older adults, and skilled-nursing facilities.
• 3C Patient AdvocacyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Member organization founded by Dr. Heidi Kummer, providing board-certified patient advocacy services.
• Feltin Community CareminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Member organization - innovative nonprofit primary care practice transforming in-home health care for individuals with disabilities and complex medical needs.
• Massachusetts League of Community Health CentersmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Member organization; President & CEO Michael Curry serves on Coalition leadership team and represents the Coalition at Health Equity Compact events.
• Massachusetts Association of Colleges of Nursing (MACN)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Partnership to endorse and implement CARES competencies for nursing students in serious illness and end-of-life care. MACN represents 26 nursing schools across Massachusetts.
• Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021State government partner for MOLST-to-POLST transition. Contributions from Blue Cross and the Coalition helped secure CMS matching funding for the POLST electronic registry.
• MOLST-to-POLST Advisory GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Coalition-formed advisory group with representatives from over 10 organizations including Honoring Choices Massachusetts, Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association, Hospice and Palliative Care Federation of Massachusetts, Massachusetts Medical Society, UMass Memorial Health Care, and others.
• VyncacoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2020Technology partner powering the eMOLST web portal developed with Ariadne Labs and Honoring Choices Massachusetts to support providers in advance care planning conversations.
• Beth Israel Lahey Health (Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Participating site for the Health Care Agent Matching Program. David Sontag serves as Director of Ethics and Co-Chairs the Ethics Advisory Committee at BIDMC. The program matches unrepresented patients with volunteer HCAs.
• Commonwealth Care AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Participating site for the Health Care Agent Matching Program. Amy Hudspeth Cabell serves as Vice President and Associate General Counsel. Rachel Russo serves as Palliative Program Director.
• Ariadne LabscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Co-founding organization of the Coalition; leads the Serious Illness Care Program. Erik Fromme serves as Senior Scientist/Faculty Lead. Ariadne Labs partnered with the Coalition on the eMOLST web portal and research initiatives.
• The Conversation ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Co-founding organization of the Coalition; developed the 'What Matters to Me' workbook with Ariadne Labs and Cambia Health Foundation. Kate DeBartolo serves as Executive Director.
• Massachusetts Medical Schools CollaborativecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Coalition initiative bringing together all four Massachusetts medical schools (Boston University, Harvard, Tufts, UMass Chan) to integrate serious illness communication into medical education. Led by Dr. Jennifer Reidy.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC): CAPC is the leading national organization dedicated to increasing the availability of quality palliative care services. It overlaps with the Coalition's clinician training and serious illness care education agenda but operates at national scale with a broader institutional focus.
• Ariadne Labs: Ariadne Labs is a co-founder of the Coalition and leads the Serious Illness Care Program. It is a joint center of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health focused on health systems innovation at significantly larger scale.
• VitalTalk: VitalTalk is a national nonprofit that trains clinicians in serious illness communication skills. It is a direct partner on the Coalition's Medical Schools Collaborative Faculty Development Program and competes in the serious illness communication training space.

Direct peers

• Respecting Choices: Respecting Choices is a national advance care planning program focused on person-centered care and shared decision-making, with similar training, certification, and curriculum offerings to the Coalition's Medical Schools Collaborative work.
• Coalition to Transform Advanced Care (C-TAC): C-TAC is a national nonprofit coalition dedicated to transforming advanced illness care through policy, advocacy, and stakeholder engagement — a direct national analog to the Coalition's state-level convening model.
• The Conversation Project (Institute for Healthcare Improvement): The Conversation Project is a co-founder of the Coalition and shares its mission of helping people express wishes for end-of-life care. It developed the "What Matters to Me" workbook jointly with the Coalition and Ariadne Labs, making it the closest direct peer in patient-facing serious illness communication.
• Honoring Choices Massachusetts: Honoring Choices Massachusetts is a Massachusetts-based advance care planning collaborative jointly developing the eMOLST portal with the Coalition and Ariadne Labs. It operates a similar community-based model with health system partnerships.

Regional players

• National POLST: National POLST leads the national Portable Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment program, of which Massachusetts's POLST transition (supported by the Coalition) is one state implementation. The Coalition's MOLST-to-POLST Advisory Group work directly parallels National POLST's mission.
• Hospice and Palliative Care Federation of Massachusetts: HPCFM is a Massachusetts-based membership organization for hospice and palliative care providers. It sits on the Coalition's MOLST-to-POLST Advisory Group and is one of the Coalition's member organizations, making it a regional peer in the Massachusetts serious illness ecosystem.

Emerging players

• Patient Advocate Foundation: Patient Advocate Foundation partnered with the Coalition to launch the Massachusetts Patient and Community Review Board. Both organizations focus on elevating patient and community voices, with PAF operating at national scale on patient advocacy and case management.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@maseriouscare
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/massachusetts-coalition-for-serious-illness-care

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Massachusetts Coalition for Serious Illness Care