In the ever-evolving landscape of home health and hospice care, Aveanna continues to lead the way with innovation and compassion. Our new Aveanna Heartways program is designed to improve home health patient outcomes and enhance quality of life and comfort for hospice patients. To introduce this groundbreaking program, we sat down with Shane Brinkerhoff, President of Home Health and Hospice at Aveanna Healthcare. In this Q&A, Shane shares the inspiration behind Heartways, its key components, and the profound impact it can have on patients and their families. Join us as we explore how Aveanna is setting a new standard in heart failure care.
What sparked the development of the Aveanna Heartways™ program?
Our hospital partners rely on Aveanna to help transition patients who are recovering from heart failure to their homes sooner. Home is more comfortable, has less infection risk, and with the right support can be the best, most desired place to recover after an onset of heart failure symptoms. As a result, we looked at ways to help patients stay out of the hospital and recover at home safely. The primary reason for hospital readmission was identified as respiratory issues related to heart failure – simply put, shortness of breath. And this aligns as the same primary reason across the country. So, our clinical team went to work to develop tactics to help our patients recover and avoid rehospitalization. That led to our clinical team developing the Heartways program.
Why is heart failure such an important area of focus for home health and hospice care?
Heart failure is a leading cause of hospitalization for older adults. And while the cause of heart failure may be different for people, the symptoms are often the same. These symptoms are often manageable and sometimes avoidable with the right approach. One core belief we have is that our patients desire to receive care in the comfort of their home without sacrificing the quality of care received. For hospice patients, there is a palliative approach that our team can deploy. When you manage the symptoms, and in some cases the cause of the symptoms, a patient can remain much more comfortable in their home.
Can you walk us through the key components of the Aveanna Heartways™ program?
Heartways was developed with the goal of teaching our patients and families about the underlying disease, so it starts there. And then we go into our patients' goals. Our team will then educate on the medications, the patient's diet, activity, and symptom monitoring. We also cover exercises, fall prevention, and techniques that conserve energy and relax breathing during exertion. Finally, we provide education and tools on how to track progress and when and who to call when symptoms are not being alleviated.
How does the Aveanna Heartways™ model support both patients and their families?
First, I think Aveanna clinicians are the initial best resource for patients and families. We have assembled some of the finest clinicians in home care. With the right resources, we believe patients with heart failure can thrive and manage symptoms better. The tools we have put together along with the support of trained clinicians can make all the difference in the world. What sets our program apart is we identify each patient's learning style and leverage the use of printed, interactive, digital, and illustrative materials to ensure we meet patients' varying learning needs.
What kind of training or support do our clinicians receive to deliver Aveanna Heartways™ care?
Considering how prevalent heart failure is, we took steps when developing Heartways to make this level of care part of our home health and hospice care plans. To do this, we had to assemble some of the best clinicians to prepare an education program that is provided to every level of our clinical team. We asked our accrediting body, Community Health Accreditation Partner (CHAP), to help guide every step. All Heartways-trained clinicians will receive education related to their discipline. We have also made medical record updates to allow for specific care paths to make it easier for our clinicians. We had all our educational material reviewed by CHAP along with experts in the field, including a board-certified cardiologist to make sure we were on the right path. The result has been fantastic; we now have Disease Program Certification for Heart Failure under the CHAP Disease Program Standards and specific educational materials for our team and patients.
What outcomes are we aiming to improve with Aveanna Heartways™?
For home health, our goal is to see our care translate into better patient outcomes, measured by a reduction in avoidable hospitalizations, increased mobility, reduced shortness of breath, improved medication management, increased comfort, and overall improvement in the quality of life.
For hospice, our goal is to come alongside patients who are nearing the end of life and their families and bring additional comfort by way of symptom management and additional resources to allow patient to remain in their homes.
How does Aveanna Heartways™ support physicians and other providers who are managing heart failure patients?
We have been asked by our partnering physicians to help patients with symptom management and reduce unnecessary hospital, emergency room, and physician visits. Knowing that Aveanna clinicians are extensions of the care a physician provides, we believe having an elevated standard of care in place to address the primary reason for unnecessary visits will accomplish the goal of being better partners to these doctors and other providers. I can't think of a doctor who wouldn't want his or her patient to receive the highest standard of care possible.
Could this model be expanded to support other chronic conditions?
In theory, yes! We started with an identified problem, kept our patient at the center of the mission, and developed a clinical pathway to better serve our patients. This process has taken over 18 months to develop but we certainly believe it will result in improved care and will be demonstrated in those outcomes we discussed. If we follow the same path, we can develop other models to improve the lives of the patients we serve. Innovation is one of our Core Values at Aveanna, and the development of the Heartways program certainly fits into this value. I'd love to see us tackle other opportunities with innovation!
What does success look like for this program?
Success looks like better patient care. Elevating the skillset of our clinicians helps our team help our patients exactly when and where our patients need us. I'd like to thank our clinicians for embracing the Heartways program and running with it. I am confident that Aveanna has the best home care clinicians in the industry. We will do everything we can to continue to provide valuable education to them that helps them continue to provide exceptional care to every patient we serve.
Learn more about the Aveanna Heartways™ program today!