North Florida Regional Medical Center Senior Healthcare Centers
North Florida Regional Medical Center’s (NFRMC) Senior Healthcare Centers are hospital outpatient departments dedicated to providing patients with caring, comprehensive geriatric healthcare at four convenient locations.
“Senior Healthcare Centers were developed in 1997 to fit both the specific medical needs and the broader social needs of the elderly,” said Alan Goldblatt, MD, the medical director of the Crown Pointe office.
“In order to intervene to confront the multiple underlying issues that often contribute to or exacerbate illness, a new paradigm seemed necessary,” Goldblatt said. Integrating care across the spectrum of home, assisted living facilities, rehabilitation/extended care facilities, hospital inpatient or even palliative or hospice care, assures the patient and family of the Centers’ continuing commitment. Expanding the role of the physician to include coach or team member requires knowledge of local resources and interactive social skills. “That’s what makes this job fun,” Goldblatt said.
Located at Crown Pointe, Melrose, Pecan Park and Springhill, the Senior Healthcare Centers care for patients age 55 and older and have high-quality physicians and dedicated, qualified nursing and support staff. “The Senior Centers provide a high level of personal care and accessibility combined with access to the latest technology and a network of specialists. They offer traditional healthcare in an exceptional system,” said Bernard Ballou, MD, medical director of Pecan Park.
Services offered at the Senior Healthcare Centers include: primary care physician services specializing in geriatric care, lab draws, EKG, immunizations, vitamin B12 injections, Warfarin (Coumadin®) testing and pharmaceutical guidance.
“The Senior Healthcare Centers’ staff and physicians are trained and competent in the issues affecting the older population, even those issues beyond the medical perspective,” said Alena Trella, the director of Crown Pointe. The Centers provide services and care that reflect this appreciation of the additional factors that patients and their families encounter.
The staff at the Senior Healthcare Centers takes patient care to a higher level by encouraging caregivers to attend appointments, with patient permission; giving written instructions as a reminder of the topics reviewed during the visit; and giving patients access to a case manager, geriatric pharmacist and referral coordinator, Trella said.
The Senior Healthcare Center’s case managers address social issues that may impact a patient’s medical care plan. These issues may include financial, emotional or family dynamic changes and concerns.
“Most providers do not have a case manager available to their patients,” said Ann Weber, MD, the co-medical director of Springhill. “The case manager supports patients by helping find specific support services such as home nursing care, assisted living facilities or hospice care.”
From referral to community resources to providing information on the continuum of care available, the case managers support the patient in their decisions to obtain the assistance they need to safely live independently and remain in their own home for as long as possible.
“The case manager provides another level of service beyond clinical medicine. They assist with issues that affect the patient’s ability to manage their medical conditions and can improve their quality of life,” said Deborah Strickland, MHS, case manager and director of the Senior Healthcare Center at Melrose.
Senior Healthcare Center patients also have access to a pharmacist certified in geriatrics. “Geriatric pharmacists have a specialized knowledge in geriatric diseases and the unique medicationrelated needs of the senior population, and I use that knowledge to help patients avoid medication-related problems,” said Andrea Koff, PharmD, CGP, the director of outpatient pharmacy consulting.
Patients can see the pharmacist before or during their office visit with the physician and can also make individual appointments where the pharmacist will review medications, help with compliance issues or assist with medication costs. The geriatric pharmacist works directly with physicians and patients to ensure safe and effective medication use.
At a meeting with the geriatric pharmacist, patients may bring in all of their medications so the pharmacist can go through them one by one ensuring that there are no interactions or duplications. After each visit with the pharmacist, patients are given an updated list of their medications that includes information on how and when to take their medication and what each medication is used for.
“As a North Florida Senior Healthcare Center physician, I know my patients are receiving the best and most comprehensive care. Services like the geriatric pharmacist and case manager afford patients opportunities that they would not have otherwise,” said Daniel Cox, MD, the medical director of the Melrose Senior Healthcare Center.