Increasing Need
for Home Health Care Met by Penn Home Care and Hospice Services
July / August 2005
Conventional wisdom regarding the scope and services of Penn
Home Care and Hospice Services may be a bit limited. While
the name implies the concept of specialized end-of-life care
(hospice), the key word here is “home.” In fact,
the mission of Penn Home Care and Hospice Services is to deliver
premier home health care to patients in three major areas:
home infusion therapy, traditional home health services and
hospice care.
“We have a strong collaboration with our referring
physicians and health care groups,” says Joan Doyle,
MSN, MBA, executive director of Penn Home Care and Hospice.
“We also work with Penn's School of Medicine and the
School of Nursing to support the education and research missions
of Penn Medicine.”
Monitoring a patient's therapy is critical to his or her
overall care and Penn Home Care and Hospice Services offers
health care teams (including physicians, nurses, therapists,
pharmacists and others) specific to a patient's individual
needs. As a result, many patients who require certain types
of medication, such as chemotherapy or antibiotics, delivered
through an IV line, no longer need to travel to the hospital
for infusion therapy. The idea of bringing this service into
the home began to evolve in the 1980s and has become a safe
and effective alternative to inpatient care. “Sometimes,
patients have to be on continuous infusion for six to twelve
hours,” says Doyle. “Receiving treatment at home
is more convenient and more cost effective, as well.”
Most private insurance plans cover home infusion therapy.
Medicare will also cover certain, specific therapies.
The home care component of Penn Home Care and Hospice Services
includes skilled services of nurses, physical therapists,
occupational therapists, speech therapists and home health
aids, generally delivered to people who are chronically or
terminally ill, disabled or recovering at home. As hospital
stays get shorter, increasing numbers of people benefit from
home care. In order to efficiently serve more patients, Penn
Home Care and Hospice Services has implemented tele-health
monitoring units, which use telephone technology and a screen
to observe patients remotely. The patient sits in front of
the device and speaks with a nurse on the other end of the
line. The nurse is able to see the patient and make certain
assessments.
“Regular monitoring gives the patient added peace of
mind,” says Doyle. “It also helps prevent and
capture adverse events sooner and encourages compliance with
diet and medication.”
The main focus of hospice care is comfort and caring, Doyle
explains. The patient's physician, the hospice physician,
nurses, home health aids, social workers, clergy and volunteers
employ a team approach to assist the patient and family with
the emotional, psychosocial and spiritual aspects of dying.
The trained volunteers also help the caregivers by doing household
chores and shopping, driving to medical appointments, babysitting
and sometimes just sitting and talking with patients. Bereavement
services are also available. Hospice care can also include
short-term inpatient stays when pain or symptoms are too difficult
to manage at home.
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Referring Physicians: To speak with a Penn physician
or refer a patient, contact PennHealth through the secure online
referral form or by calling
1-800-789-PENN
(7366). |
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