Ohio’s Hospice Offers New Resource to Aid Patients with Heart Disease and their Caregivers

As part of its Focused Care™ program, Ohio’s Hospice is launching the Advanced Cardiac Care program through its affiliates throughout the state of Ohio to address one of the nation’s largest killers of Americans — heart disease. The Advanced Cardiac Care program is being made available through collaboration with the American Heart Association (AHA) and the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI). 

The program’s patient and caregiver guide helps avert multiple hospital and emergency room visits that are a huge source of stress for the patient, their family, and the medical facility currently dealing with COVID-19 patients. Through its affiliates, Ohio’s Hospice is in the early stages of launching the program throughout the state of Ohio. 

Each year, more Americans die from heart disease than any other condition, including cancer. Heart disease also is a leading cause for hospitalization. Patients with congestive heart failure alone account for more than 1 million inpatient admissions annually. 

Ohio’s Hospice lent its expertise and experience in developing the Advanced Cardiac Care program, through Lynda Weide, MSN, RN, CHPN, team leader of Focused Care™ at Ohio’s Hospice. She is instrumental in leading the Ohio’s Hospice Focused Care program, a disease-specific program that customizes each patient’s care. Focused Care services include symptom management for patients with cancer, heart disease and pulmonary illnesses. 

Weide is excited about this program, which is in the early stages of being launched at Ohio’s Hospice affiliates. “This evidence-based program elevates the excellent hospice care already provided for our patients who have heart disease. “We are offering the Advance Cardiac Care  program to address the disease specific symptoms of patients with heart disease,” Weide said. “Our care goal is to improve the quality of life and help patients avoid unnecessary hospitalizations and emergency room visits.” 

Chirag Patel, MD, FAAHPM, chief medical officer at Ohio’s Hospice, explained that heart disease will likely continue to have a disproportionate toll on many traditionally underserved groups who have higher rates of heart disease and associated risk factors. “Through this new program, we will be able to improve the quality of life for those facing advanced heart disease,” he said. “Our family, friends and neighbors with advanced heart disease need not suffer alone anymore.”