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24 Hartford Business Journal • December 7, 2015 www.HartfordBusiness.com HEALTH CARE HEROES 2015 Interim HealthCare innovates to keep CT's aging at home By John Stearns jstearns@HartfordBusiness.com C linical innovation is nothing new for Interim HealthCare of Hartford, which for years has developed new ways to help care for people at home, thus reducing hospital- izations and cutting costs, according to Ann Marie Elliott, director of the company's healthcare consulting department. The Medicare-certified home-health agency, with 618 employees, cares for pediatric, adult and geriatric patients, and provides licensed clinical staff, including nurses, physical therapists and social workers to care for patients. It also offers personal care and support services, and provides supplemental staffing services for hospitals and medical offices. But Interim's focus is on providing high-quality nursing, disease management and rehabilitative services in the home, Elliott said, praising a nursing staff at the forefront of innova- tive home care for decades. Interim was the first home-health agency in Connecticut to develop a sophisticated cardiac home care disease-man- agement program more than 20 years ago, she said. Cardiac nurses trained in critical-care units developed protocols in conjunction with area cardiologists to administer IV Lasix and milrinone therapy at home to keep heart failure patients out of the hospital, she said. Interim also was a leader 11 years ago in telemonitoring heart patients from their homes, allowing patients to check their blood pressure and other vitals with devices linked to cardiac nurses at Interim offices. Interim nurses also specialize in home-based disease management programs for conditions like diabetes, wound care and behavioral health, Elliott said. Interim in 2006 was among the first home-health agencies in the state to pioneer the transitional care program, where nurses collaborate with area hospitals and physicians' offic- es to help patients transition from the hospital to home, she said. The goal is to reduce patient anxiety, create a smooth transition for patients and families, and decrease hospital readmissions. Interim also launched Interim Connect to address social issues like patients skipping medications or missing doctor appointments, connecting patients to Interim electronically via a GPS device that doesn't require a land-line or cell phone to speak with Interim staff, Elliott said. "So if they needed their meds and couldn't get to the drug- store, they would be able to call us by hitting their button and saying, 'Gee, I need help.' " Elliott said. "It's not just for emergencies." Elliott also is working with a senior residential community to better connect residents with care providers. "I'm partnering with a drug company that can deliver med- ications to them and a patient advocate who can be onsite to help them navigate through a hospitalization, a non-medical provider, even though we kind of do a little bit of what they do, but we're all working together to meet residents' needs onsite," Elliott said. "That's kind of a different concept that nobody really is doing that I think is innovative and it really helps with access to care." That collaboration stands out to Anne Elwell, vice presi- dent of community relations at Qualidigm, a Wethersfield- based healthcare consulting organization that has worked with Interim HealthCare. In 2009, Qualidigm launched a voluntary collaboration — called the Communities of Care initiative — among hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilita- tion centers, home healthcare providers and physicians to implement strategies for improving communication and coor- dination among healthcare providers and improve education and health literacy for patients and families. Interim was one of the first to join, Elwell said. "They realized that all of us working together as a commu- nity, taking care of the same patients, could accomplish more than working in our individual silos," Elwell said. Elliott notes not only the skill, but also the longevity of Inter- im's nursing staff. Nurses and patients get to know each other, which helps to engage patients on care management, she said. "That relationship between the nurse and the patient is really one of the largest parts to helping the patient stay out of the hospital and stay in the community," she said. Interim HealthCare of Hartford has operated for 45 years and been locally owned by the Keane family since 1985. n P H O T O | C O N T R I B U T E D Interim HealthCare staff focuses on providing high- quality nursing, disease management and rehabilita- tive services in the home. Pictured (left to right) are Interim Healthcare employ- ees Rose Niland, Alane Ahlers, Mary Laskowski, Ann Marie Elliott, Roxane Wright, Janis Carlson, Michelle Baker, Charlotte Steniger and Christine Cianciola. " " Interim HealthCare of Hartford Category Winner: Corporate Achievement – Innovation That relationship between the nurse and the patient is really one of the largest parts to helping the patient stay out of the hospital and stay in the community.