Serious Illness Training
Serious Illness Training
Optimizing Serious Illness Conversations, Conducting a Comprehensive Assessment and Care Coordination
During this live training course, the participant will learn to navigate complex discussions with ease, help patients understand their diagnosis and prognosis, and honor their unique wishes and values when facing challenging medical decisions.
Training Objectives
At the conclusion of this training course, the participant will be able to:
- Review patients who would benefit from a serious illness conversation.
- Review the evidence-based serious illness conversation guideline.
- Identify the importance of motivational interviewing skills when exploring the patient’s goals (relevant to palliative and hospice care).
- Identify key components to include in the biomedical assessment and care plan development.
- Identify key components to include in the psychosocial assessment and care plan development.
- Apply new learnings and identify opportunities for continued growth through a simulated serious illness conversation with a trained standardized patient.
It is recommended to complete the Team-Based Care and Self-Management Support: Patient Engagement trainings prior to attending this course.
MI-CCSI has been contracted by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan as the training entity for this project.
Registering for Live Training
Course Registration Instructions:
- Create a user profile in the MI-CCSI Learning Management System
- Register for the live training session
- Access course materials & resources
Click to Access MI-CCSI Learning Management System
DATES, TIMES & REGISTRATION
Audience
The course is intended to empower healthcare providers and care team members with the expertise to guide compassionate, meaningful, and effective care for their patients.
FACULTY
Mary Beth Billie, DNP, RN-BC, CCMMary Beth Billie is a registered nurse with several years of experience developing and managing utilization, case, disease and population health programs in provider and payer organizations. Mary Beth is certified in Case Management from both the CCMC and the AACN. She is an adjunct faculty member in the nursing programs at Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois and Elmhurst University in Elmhurst, Illinois.
She received her Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) from Loyola University Niehoff School of Nursing. Her Capstone project was implementing a Serious Illness (SI) educational program and Serious Illness Protocol for nurse and social worker case managers in an Accountable Care Organization. Her Serious Illness project was published in the Professional Case Management Journal (Billie and Letizia, 2020).
Mary Beth is a sought-after National Speaker on this important topic presenting her Serious Illness program at the National Case Management, the National Ambulatory Care, and the Center to Advance Palliative Care Conferences. She teaches her Serious Illness Communication course to health care professionals including nurses, social workers, nursing students and physicians across the country.
Her most recent position was the Regional Executive Director of Population Heath at Loyola University Health System in Maywood Illinois where she developed and implemented care coordination and quality management programs for Loyola’s Physician Partners Accountable Care Organization. Mary Beth previously held leadership positions at Blue Cross of Illinois and United Health Care where she was responsible for National Care Management and Population Health programs.
Dr. Ellen Fink-Samnick is an award-winning industry entrepreneur who empowers healthcare’s interprofessional workforce. She is a subject matter expert on Ethics, Health Equity and Quality, Integrated Care, Interprofessional Teams, Professional Case Management, and Trauma-informed Leadership.
Dr. Fink-Samnick has a Doctorate in Behavioral Health with specialization in Health Equity, Integrated Care, Quality, Leadership, and Trauma-Informed Practice, She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Board-certified Case Manager, and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, as well as a member of the academic honor society, Delta Epsilon Tau.
Dr. Fink-Samnick serves the industry through a variety of roles with academic appointments at Cummings Graduate Institute of Behavioral Health Studies, George Mason University’s College of Public Health, and the University of Buffalo School of Social Work. She is a clinical supervision trainer and instructor for the National Association of Social Workers of Virginia and Metro DC, lead for Rise Association’s Social Determinants of Health Community, moderator of Ellen’s Ethical Lens on LinkedIn, and author of the blog, Ellen’s Interprofessional Insights. She is also a consultant for the Case Management Institute and moderator of their Case Managers Community.
Dr. Fink-Samnick is known for her fierce professional voice. Along with leadership and committee roles across credentialing entities and professional associations, she has served on the Gravity Project and the National Coalition for Social Work and Health. She is a board consultant to the American Association of Doctors of Behavioral Health, and editorial board member for the Professional Case Management Journal, and Case Management Monthly. Further information is available on her LinkedIn Profile.
Carol Robinson DNP, RN, CHPNDr. Robinson’s extensive experience, spanning critical to palliative care in both clinical and administrative leadership positions, has allowed her a front row seat to the challenges of serious illness healthcare decision-making in crisis situations. That experience led to extensive education and practice of patient/family communication relative to quality of life and treatment preferences. Her scholarly work has focused on communication skills for health professionals, including advance care planning conversations. Dr. Robinson is the former Community Organizer for Making Choices Michigan and is now Principal at So We May Know, LLC, specializing in Palliative Care Education and Navigation, as well as community engagement strategies. Her friendly and open approach has helped many individuals create an Advance Directive reflective of one’s own personal values, beliefs and preferences for end-of-life care. Dr. Robinson holds an earned Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree from Grand Valley State University (2012), MS and BSN from the Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation at
Arizona State University. She is nationally certified in hospice & palliative care, and has served as an adjunct nursing faculty member at GVSU in the postgraduate interprofessional hospice and palliative care certificate program. She serves on numerous non-profit boards and committees with a goal of promoting patient advocacy and equitable, respectful care to all.
Lynn is an adult nurse practitioner with over 40 years of experience spanning acute care, primary care, and community-based settings. She earned her Doctorate in Educational Leadership in 2018 from American Sentinel University and holds certifications as a Nurse Practitioner through the ANCC, a Nurse Educator through the NLN, and an Age-Friendly Health Care credential through IHI.
Her extensive career includes leadership roles focused on leadership development, performance improvement, care management delivery models, and care coordination initiatives to better support complex, chronically ill populations. Dr. Klima is passionate about fostering staff engagement in improving care delivery processes. Her doctoral research explored strategies to equip nurses in empowering patients with effective self-management support. As an implementation scientist, her key interests lie in integrating evidence-based practices that promote patient safety, transition management, patient-centered care, and leadership development across diverse care settings.
She currently serves as the Program Director for Mi-CCSI, an adjunct professor at The University of Olivet, and a preceptor for graduate and doctoral students at the University of Michigan.
Cost
Members
FREE for members; FREE for non-members
This training is provided at no cost to all participant through a contract with BCBSM.
Continuing Education Credits
Providers & Nurses
The AAFP has reviewed Serious Illness, and deemed it acceptable for AAFP credit. Term of approval is from 03/17/2026 to 03/16/2027. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
This course is approved for 6.0 credits for AAFP Prescribed credits.
AAFP Prescribed credit is accepted by the American Medical Association as equivalent to AMA PRA Category 1 credit(s)™ toward the AMA Physician’s Recognition Award. When applying for the AMA PRA, Prescribed credit earned must be reported as Prescribed, not as Category 1.
Credit Application #: 111115
Nursing Credit: Nurses can use the AAFP CME toward their State of Michigan licensure renewal requirements. Information on this can be found on the LARA website and through the Michigan Nurses Association (MNA) at Michigan Nursing Licensure Renewal Info
Social Workers
This training has been approved by the NASW-Michigan Chapter for 6.0 synchronous General social work CEs.
Approval #: 20260317-CA-MICCSI
General Social Work CEs: 6.0
Approval Period: This live course is approved until 03/31/2027.
MEDICAL ASSISTANTS, REGISTERED DIETITIANS, COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS
These participants can submit a copy of the agenda and certificate to their professional certifying entity for consideration of continuing education credits.
Conflict of Interest: There is no conflict of interest for anyone with the ability to control content for these activities.
Submit continuing education questions to Lynn Klima at lynn.klima@miccsi.org or Sue Vos at sue.vos@miccsi.org
Questions
If you have any questions about this training, contact Lynn at lynn.klima@miccsi.org or Amy at amy.wales@miccsi.org.
These trainings are open to clinical practice team members who will be involved in serious illness conversations and management of palliative care services. If you have questions about this training, please contact Lynn Klima at lynn.klima@miccsi.org.
Cost
Registering for Live Training
Course Registration Instructions:
- Create a user profile in the MI-CCSI Learning Management System
- Register for the live training session
- Access course materials & resources