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Home care:the choice is yoursConcord resident sees the benefits of Emerson Hospital Home CareHow to select ahome care providerIf you know you will requirehome care after an upcomingsurgery or procedure, you mightwish to plan ahead. Here aresuggestions:• Ask your physician and speakwith family and friends to hearabout their experiences withhome care providers.• Visit www.Medicare.gov/HomeHealthCompare/search.aspx, which compares providersin your area based onpatient outcomes and patientsatisfaction.• Consider interviewing providersto determine if theywill meet your needs underyour health plan’s home carebenefit.• Consider selecting a homecare provider that is affiliatedwith your hospital, which willsupport continuity of care,sharing of information anda successful transition fromhospital to home.• Consider selecting a localagency whose staff knowsyour community well.For more information on EmersonHospital Home Care, please call978-287-8300.18As their hospital stay winds down, most people focuson making a smooth transition to life at home. Whenthat will include regular visits from a home care provider,there are a few things to consider, says BrianHailey, MSPT, director of Emerson Hospital HomeCare. “Many people don’t realize that they are entitledto choose their home care provider. If you are apatient at Emerson, it makes sense to select EmersonHospital Home Care. That way, you remain under oneumbrella of care.”One of the most important items under that umbrellais your medical record. “With access to a patient’srelevant information, including their health history,our home care staff can provide good continuity ofcare,” Mr. Hailey explains. “For example, we cancheck on someone’s medications and recent test results.This leads to high-quality care.”That is what Marianne Zasa required after being diagnosedwith a staph infection that originated in hershoulder. It is unclear how she developed the infection.Ms. Zasa is vulnerable to infections because herimmune system is suppressed by medications shetakes for rheumatoid arthritis.Paul Re, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at Emerson, performedsurgery to clean out the infection in May,which was followed by three weeks of intravenous antibiotictherapy. “I had a pump that delivered antibioticsaround the clock,” says Ms. Zasa, a psychotherapistwho lives in Concord. “The nurse from Emersonhome care hooked up the antibiotic to the pump everyother day.” She had 24-hour access to help if thepump malfunctioned.Ms. Zasa also needed to have a nurse regularly checkher surgical incision and change the dressing. “A numberof different nurses came to the house,” she says.“They were all great – not just really professional, butthey conveyed a sense of calm and reassurance. Theirvisits were an important part of the day for me.”A few weeks after her surgery, Ms. Zasa developedsymptoms indicating that the infection was reappearing,so she made an appointment with Dr. Re, whowas concerned. “It was the Friday before MemorialDay weekend,” she recalls. “Dr. Re warned me that, ifthe situation got worse, I should get to the EmergencyDepartment.”Several different nurses from Emerson Hospital Home Carevisited Marianne Zasa at her Concord home this spring. “Theywere all great,” she says. “Their visits were an important partof the day for me.”The nurse from Emerson home care was made awareof the situation and came on Saturday, Sunday andMonday to keep a close watch on Ms. Zasa. “I reallyappreciated that,” she says. Ultimately, Dr. Re andScott Paparello, MD, Emerson’s chief of infectious disease,decided that a second surgery was needed.After that, Ms. Zasa was home again for three moreweeks of IV antibiotics. “This time, the nursing stafftaught me how to change the pump and how tochange my own dressings,” she says. She was back towork and healing nicely by mid-June, when she sent anote to Emerson Hospital Home Care, thanking thestaff for the outstanding care she received.Such notes are not out of the ordinary, says Mr.Hailey. “Our patient satisfaction ranking is very high,and our re-hospitalization rate is below the state andnational averages. That means our nursing, rehabilitationand other staff are vigilant. They watch for problemsand exhibit good clinical judgment on behalf ofour patients.”He adds that Emerson Hospital Home Care now seespatients in 28 towns. “We’ve grown quite a bit in 52years,” he says. “You don’t have to be an Emerson patientto choose Emerson home care; we work with allthe major teaching hospitals. You just have to wanthigh-quality home care from people who are in yourcommunity.”