When Marsha Pruitt learned she was ready to go home from the hospital after open heart surgery, she responded to her surgeon as many other patients do: “Are you sure?”
Although Marsha describes herself as “not a hospital kind of girl,” the idea of going home – and being far from her care team – was stressful. What eased her anxiety was the opportunity to participate in a program that connects cardiac patients to their providers virtually following a hospital discharge.
Through a new virtual platform called Perfect Care, Marsha and her nurse navigator Kennedy McClain (“my lifeline,” Marsha calls her) connected through virtual visits, phone calls and text messages after surgery. The program became a transition from hospital to home, so Marsha could recover comfortably in a familiar environment while remaining close to McClain.
“It was just a huge relief to have her on the other end of the line,” Pruitt said. “The value of the program, it’s priceless. It’s truly priceless.”
Perfect Care is a combination of high-tech medicine with a personal touch. It’s a novel virtual care system that allows providers to easily and efficiently follow up with cardiac patients who recover at home. Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute was among the earliest to adopt this first-of-its kind system in a pilot program – and it’s already making a big difference for heart patients.
Perfect Care gives patients at home direct access to Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute clinicians through virtual visits, texts and phone calls. Clinicians have patient records through a secure patient portal that prioritizes important information and offers personalized insights and thresholds, so they can review vital data and make recommendations quickly. Clinicians personalize remote monitoring for each patient according to their risks and needs.
Bringing Hospital Care Back Home
Returning home after heart procedures can bring mixed feelings for many patients. On the one hand, they can recover in the comfort and privacy of their home. On the other, they worry about being far from doctors when they have questions, such as: Is my recovery on track? Are these feelings normal? Do I need to go back to the hospital?
“To offer a platform where we’re really never going to take our eyes off patients, that’s rewarding for us as providers and I think it enhances our relationship with patients,” says Dr. John Frederick, chief of cardiovascular surgery at Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute.
Extending communication between patients and providers through their at-home recoveries creates a better healing environment. Patients gain a better understanding of the details of their recovery and these patients are more likely to take medications as prescribed. In addition, providers learn more about patients, helping them personalize treatments and create positive interactions.
“This has really given me an opportunity to bond with patients,” says nurse navigator Maya Gantt. “They’re more likely to reach out and connect with us for questions, which I think is so helpful.”
Reducing Anxiety, Improving Outcomes
Reducing anxiety and increasing medication adherence can mean shorter recoveries and improved outcomes. During the five years since this system launched, providers at Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute have seen substantial improvements in patients’ recoveries. The average length of a hospital admission went down by a day, and the number of patients who had to be readmitted to the hospital within a month went down by 40%.
Since then, Atrium Health has expanded the use of this program to patients in treatment for diabetes, stroke, weight management and hypertension. The Perfect Care program, which is popular with patients and clinicians, may extend to other specialties soon.
“We’re taking better care of people at a lower cost and keeping them out of the hospital,” Frederick says. “We’re really proud of that work.”
At home, patients recover more comfortably, and now, more confidently.
“It gives you a lot more peace of mind,” Marsha says.
Learn more about heart care at Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute, rated the region’s top heart and cardiovascular program by U.S. News & World Report.
