From Vim & Vigor Fall 2012
Quality care navigators help you navigate the complexities of today's healthcare system.
When St. Mary Medical Center nurse Gina Harris helped her father contend with a sudden medical condition six years ago, she never imagined that the support she was providing as a good daughter would eventually become her career.
“My dad thought he was just having a few breathing problems when he went to see his doctor,” says Harris. “But that office visit turned into a trip to the emergency room and hospitalization, multiple tests and doctors, new medications and a new way of living. My parents were overwhelmed through the process. I’m glad I was there to help them understand everything that was going on.”
Helping patients navigate the complexities of today’s healthcare system is the goal of the new Quality Care Coordination program at St. Mary Medical Center. This innovative program pairs newly admitted patients with their very own quality care navigator— a dedicated nurse who becomes a patient’s personal contact both during and after hospitalization.
“My dad underwent a multitude of tests and saw four or five different specialists involved in his care,” adds Harris. “I could see my parents were getting confused and a little scared. I helped them understand and carry out their care plan with greater success than they would have experienced otherwise. Once my dad was back to a normal routine, he said to me, ‘Thank God we have a nurse in the family.’ And now, ironically, I’m doing it for other families as well.”
A Team Effort
For patients at St. Mary Medical Center, quality care navigators, like Harris, become the person who knows their care plan, collaborates with their physicians, and answers any questions about their condition and treatments—even after discharge. Each quality care navigator leads a team of case managers and social workers, offering patients the resources they need to have the most successful healthcare outcomes possible.
When a patient receives a diagnosis—whether it is surgery-related, a pulmonary issue, stroke, heart disease or cancer—it can be overwhelming. In addition to coping with and understanding their treatment, they also need to navigate their way through the healthcare system with most patients requiring the care of a multidisciplinary team: specialists, surgeons, radiologists, therapists, nutritionists, etc.
“Our quality care navigators represent a team effort on the part of St. Mary Medical Center staff to be with our patients every step of the way to ensure the best possible experience and results,” says Tammie R. Jones, R.N., M.S., chief nursing officer.
“We’re looking to change the healthcare experience for the better,” says Donna Wieczorek, R.N., who serves as the quality care navigator for Surgery/ Orthopedics. “We’re finding ways to make it a more pleasant patient experience; one that’s more comfortable.”
No Surprises
The quality care navigator concept is not new to St. Mary Medical Center. It was first used in the model of care at the Joint Academy of the hospital, where Wieczorek also serves as joint care coordinator.
“Our patients know what to expect every step of the way from six weeks pre-op until three months post-op and beyond,” Wieczorek says. “Care doesn’t stop once a patient is home; they receive follow-up phone calls and an invitation to a reunion luncheon with their coach.”
“With our quality care navigators, we are using this same concept, but expanding it to include other procedures and diagnoses,” Wieczorek says.
More and more patients are being asked to be their own health advocate, but most don’t have the right “insider” tools to complete the job. Quality care navigators become the patient’s insider—their personal healthcare contact—someone who can help them manage their conditions effectively and to live full and active lives.
It's All About Compassionate Care
Oncology Navigator Amie Burns, R.N., N.P., says it is also important to fi nd out what’s happening in the patient’s life beyond their diagnosis because it could be affecting their health.
“We look at the whole picture and help them problem- solve and troubleshoot,” she says. “My patients know I’ll always be by their side and available for questions even after they’ve gone home.”
Neurology Navigator Kim Sgouroudis, R.N., says it’s a nurse’s role to help patients navigate the system, help them get correct information and to keep people healthy.
“I get to be an educator, supporter and follow patients across the continuum as they go through a life-changing experience,” she says.
Harris sums it up this way; “My commitment centers around my patients’ understanding of their healthcare needs during and after hospitalization. I help them make choices. It’s all about compassionate care. I tell all my patients, ‘Think of me as the nurse in your family.’”
True Stories of Extraordinary Care
To find out how the care at St. Mary Medical Center has helped real patients, let them explain it you, in their own words. Visit www.comhs.org/stmary/ extraordinary_care4.asp to read their stories.