NewsLine - May 2011 - (Page 17)

is the first of several diagnostic-specific programs which Southern Tier Hospice and Palliative Care (STHPC) offers within its three-county service area in Upstate New York. Launched in 2009, it is a cardiacspecific hospice program that is meeting the specialized needs of patients who have suffered heart failure, but do not yet ‘believe’ that they are candidates for hospice. “Cardiac patients usually fall through the cracks of home care services, leaving them with few options other than going to the ER or facing further hospitalizations,” says STHPC’s Provider Relations and Family Services Director Robin Stawasz, BS, LMSW. “And this is where LifeBeat is helping to fill an important gap. Our specially trained hospice team offers 24-hour coverage, self-care education, and day-to-day monitoring that enables these individuals to remain at home longer.” Since its inception, LifeBeat has helped to reduce acute in-patient hospital days by 34 percent while increasing the program’s cardiac patient census by 284 percent. STHPC’s average daily census has also grown 34 percent. Here, Stawasz and STHPC’s Home Care Nurse Case Manager, Suzanne Scheib, RN, BSN, CHPN, answer some important questions for those members who may be interested in providing a similar service in their community. What prompted STHPC to launch LifeBeat? We realized that we—STHPC specifically and hospice • generally—were underserving people with non-cancer diagnoses. Hospice has grown out of an oncology model and that does not meet the needs of all patients. It is not a “one size fits all” kind of business. We saw that people with cardiac heart failure (CHF) required a different approach to symptom management and care than our traditional population. In addition, these patients and their healthcare providers were not inclined to consider hospice as an option for care. Nonetheless, these people were clearly in need of exactly what hospice does best—palliative care and symptom management. We needed to find a way to bridge that gap. Quick Facts About Southern Tier Hospice and Palliative Care • Community-based program founded in 1981. Based in Corning, New York. Serves residents of Steuben, Schuyler and Chemung Counties. Average Hospice Census: 100-110. Number of Staff: 70 FTEs and 110 Volunteers. Launched LifeBeat in May 2009. • • • • continued on next page NewsLine 17

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NewsLine - May 2011

POLST: An Evidence-based Tool for Advance Care Planning
A Message From Don
ICD-10: It’s Time to Begin Preparing
26th MLC Supporters (display ad)
Experience the ACHC Difference (display ad)
LifeBeat at Southern Tier Hospice and Palliative Care
Introducing NHPCO’s Custom Print Marketplace (display ad)
Voice of NCHPP: Spiritual Care: A Physician’s Perspective
NCHPP: Getting Involved
Recruiting Problems? HMR (display ad)
New - Hospice MDP Summer School (display ad)
CMS Clarifies Aspects of the Face-to-Face Encounter
Harvest: A New Film That Will Resonate With Members
Member News and Notes
Upcoming Educational Offerings
Cover 2

NewsLine - May 2011