Health

Health Care Resource Guide | 2017-2018 5 H ealth care is on the move and for a growing number of patients living with chronic illness or recuperating from surgery, the notion that 'there's no place like home' is an ever-increasing reality. Over the past 125 years, VNA Care has made house calls to residents throughout Central Massachusetts - delivering expert, compassionate care to those who need it most. e health care industry is shifting its belief, and now agrees with what we have long known, that acute care doesn't have to hap- pen in a hospital setting. In early 2017, VNA Care, along with Atrius Health and Medically Home Group, launched an acute home care program which will revo- lutionize the way health care is delivered. e Medically Home Program brings physicians and nurses, paired with the latest technology, into the patient's home, ensuring the delivery of safe, reliable care where patients most want to be. e VNA has long known that more services could be delivered in the home safely and effectively, and because of the Medically Home Program, this is now a reality for many patients who would have otherwise been admitted to the hospital. Recent advances in the approach to total joint replacement surgeries have allowed some patients to undergo this procedure on an out- patient basis, unheard of even ten years ago. Now, by pairing modern surgical protocols with customized assessments by the home care team, a new normal for recovering patients will exist. e depth and scope of what home care and hospice are capable of is evolving rapidly. Not only is the home where patients want to be, it is also the most cost-effective care setting. With advances in technology, the home can and will be the optimal place for care delivery. Health Care is Moving Home W hen it comes to change, there are typically two varieties: the kind you eagerly await; and the kind you might rather avoid. At Reli- ant Medical Group we are on the verge of some changes that are so exciting we are counting down the days! is fall Reliant is kicking off a series of moves into many new facili- ties, and in the process we are modernizing our entire healthcare delivery system. By the spring of 2019, we will be providing healthcare services in 10 new buildings across Central Massachusetts, all custom designed to accommodate our unique brand of highly attentive, proactive care. Our patients will see the same caregivers they have come to know and trust, but they will see them in modern, state-of-the-art medical offices that are accessible from major roadways and include multiple services under one roof. As impressive as our future facilities will look, what will happen inside is the most invigorating aspect of our transformation. While preparing for these moves over a three-year period, our providers and staff have engaged in research aimed at finding ways to serve patients in the most efficient manner possible. Among other things, we have found that lo- cating a variety of healthcare professionals in team rooms or "pods" enhances collaboration and facilitates more real-time communication about patient care. We've also been trying new ways to make visits more convenient for our patients, like leveraging new technology that allows them to check in from home and check out from the exam room. We will be bringing all of these learnings – and many more - to our new buildings to improve patient and caregiver experiences. It's all part of what we call our Care Transfor- mation Initiative. at's our way of describing Reliant's efforts to make changes that are good for our patients, good for our caregivers, and good for the community we have served for nearly nine decades. Our first move will happen in Milford on November 20! Watch our transformation unfold at reliantmoves.org. Transformative Changes on the Horizon for Reliant Medical Group Linda Coccola, Chief Communications Officer & Executive Administrator, Reliant Medical Group Mary Ann O'Connor, President & CEO VNA Care Network Foundation & Subsidiaries

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