Given the complexity and vast size of the health care system, it is no wonder that many patients and families feel overwhelmed, confused and even intimidated by it. They often feel lost in the system, unsure of where to turn to obtain the care or support services they need. For the frail elderly, who may be experiencing illness complicated by sensory or cognitive losses or mobility challenges, navigating the healthcare system is even tougher and sometimes, nearly impossible. They encounter barriers of all types, from hi-tech telephone systems to transportation problems to confusing medical jargon, making the healthcare system a place of stress rather than care and healing.
That is unacceptable to Iovanna Lopez, M.A., administrator and co-owner of Specialized Nursing Services, Inc., a fully licensed, innovative Home Health Care agency that is based in North Miami Beach and serves patients in Dade and Broward Counties. Lopez, along with Warren Diaz, MBA, Chief Operating Officer, lead a team of dedicated, highly-skilled multidisciplinary professionals who are all committed to the belief that patients deserve peace of mind and a positive experience, every time they interact with the healthcare system. To assure this for their patients, Lopez and Diaz have developed a Patient Advocacy Program that is distinctive in its scope and concept.“To us, patient advocacy means being there for our patients, even after they are discharged from our care,” Lopez explains. “It means helping each patient to obtain all the resources and services he or she needs in order to live safely, independently and with the highest possible quality of life. Our job is to facilitate that. It means being a constant resource to both patients and families, helping them with decisions and resolving problems, serving as a liaison between the patient, the doctor and the hospital staff. We can be the voice of the patient, helping to express their concerns and ask their questions.
“Our patients and their families know that they can call on us for help anytime, and we will respond. They can count on us. It gives them peace of mind to know that we are always going to be there for them. We are just a phone call away.”
Specialized Nursing Services (SNS) has been providing home care for over twenty years. Started by a registered nurse, the agency was purchased by Lopez and her business partner Elizabeth (B.J.) Hopper in 2005. With a staff of registered nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, a social worker, speech therapist, LPNs, certified nursing assistants and home health aides, SNS provides a full range of services, from wound care to the management of chronic diseases such as diabetes or Parkinson’s disease. “Our team is excellent and strives for excellence every day,” says Lopez. We earn the trust and confidence of our patients. We have excellent satisfaction survey ratings and many patients are ‘repeat customers’- they come back to us when they need home care.”
It takes experience and skill to care for the frail elderly in their homes, but Lopez believes that there is another essential element: passion. “I hire people who believe in our mission and share our values. I love caring for seniors; they are entitled to be safe, happy and getting their needs met. Too often, the elderly are underestimated but they have so much to offer. I see my own parents in our patients; they are treated the way I would want my parents to be treated. I know what they mean to their families and I am committed to making sure they receive excellent care, given with respect and dignity. Life teaches you and I am in awe of the wisdom our older patients possess. The work that we do is a privilege.”
It is also a responsibility, Lopez says, one that requires constant vigilance and accountability: “Healthcare is changing, becoming more accountable and requiring greater measurement of outcomes. One area where we are seeing this is in the effort to reduce hospital readmissions. At Specialized Nursing Services, we can play a significant role in reducing re-admissions. We know our patients so well; we have long term relationships with them and we go into their homes. We recognize the subtle changes in them. We can be the eyes and ears for the doctor, bringing attention to a problem in the earliest stages and preventing readmission to the hospital.”
“We are a partner with doctors and hospitals in reducing re-admissions. We are all part of the continuum, and we all have the same goal – for our patients to be as healthy as possible, living with the highest quality of life that they can attain.”
