18 CORP AMERICA / FEBRUARY 2017 , Kindred Hospital of New Jersey-Morris County has recently received the prestigious accolade of Healthcare Pioneer of the Year – 2016. The company CEO, Michael Pizzano, tells us more about the services offered. A Kindred Spirit Kindred Hospital of New Jersey- Morris County provides aggressive, specialized interdisciplinary care to medically complex patients who require extended recovery time. Kindred Healthcare’s mission is to promote healing, provide hope, preserve dignity and produce value for each patient, resident, family member, customer, employee and shareholder we serve. Kindred Hospitals: • offer care to patients who are seriously ill with multiple medical problems. Many require ventilator management and weaning, pulmonary care, extensive wound care or dialysis, among other clinical services. • provide care through an interdisciplinary team of physicians and clinicians who meet at least weekly to implement individualized treatment plans and protocols to achieve positive clinical outcomes. • are staffed and equipped to rapidly respond to changes in medical condition. • provide a caring and respectful hospital environment for all patients and families who require hope, healing and recovery. Michael Pizzano is Chief Executive Officer at Kindred Hospital, a position he has held for the last 12 months. He explains a little more about Kindred’s objective. “Our objective is to provide innovative, integrated care to you or your loved one in the event of a catastrophic illness or injury. “We strive to earn our reputation for leadership in quality care each and every day, working to offer the highest level possible of expertise and experience in the name of healing. Our guiding principle is simple – to provide quality through people. Our success in this endeavour is apparent – 96% of our patients and families are highly likely to recommend Kindred.” With regards to staff management, Pizzano has a unique approach which he believes helps the hospital provide quality outcomes. “I treat all employees equally no matter what their rank,” he states. “And I never forget where I came from. Communication is key! Communicate, communicate, communicate!” Long-term acute care (LTAC) is the type of care provided in Kindred Transitional Care Hospitals. Almost 30 years ago, Kindred helped to pioneer the long-term acute model of care. Today, Kindred has a nationwide network of transitional care hospitals unique in their ability to care for medically complex patients who benefit from extended recovery time. “Kindred’s patients receive this much needed care through treatment delivered according to their individual needs,” explains Pizzano. “The hospital’s board- certified physicians see patients daily to assess and review the care being provided. The majority of patients are admitted after a stay in a short-term hospital, often from intensive care and step-down units.” Transitional care hospitals (certified as long-term acute care hospitals) are unique in their ability to care for difficult to treat, chronically critically ill patients who require specialized and aggressive goal-directed care over an extended recovery period. Typical patients have multiple co- morbidities, multi-organ system failure, and significant loss of independence, most following a traditional hospital stay. Transitional care hospitals are licensed as acute care hospitals with additional Medicare certification that supports a length of stay measured in weeks (more than 25 days on average for Medicare patients) as compared to the typical five day stay for patients in traditional hospitals. They are consequently unique in their ability to care for critically ill patients who require specialized, aggressive, goal-directed care over an extended recovery period. Kindred’s interdisciplinary teams are made up of clinicians who have a responsibility in the patient’s recovery. They are led by the attending physician and include nurses, pharmacists, nutritionists, occupational therapists, speech and language pathologists, as well as physical therapists. These seven or eight people set goals, mark progress and coordinate the care so the patient’s outcome can be as good as it possibly can be. “The hospital’s patients are as sick as patients in short-term acute care hospitals,” comments Pizzano. “However, Kindred’s goals are different: In short-term acute care hospitals, the goal is to stabilize the patient day-to- day. In transitional care hospitals, the interdisciplinary team’s job is to identify the medical conditions, formulate a treatment plan, set reasonable goals and coordinate everyone’s interests around meeting those goals. Those goals are not simply to get the patient through the night, but to work toward improvement over the long-term.” The industry is ever-evolving and Michael has measures in place to help the hospital stay ahead of the curve where its services are concerned. “Technology is key and if you aren’t up to date with it then you are behind the ‘eight ball’. Change is always occurring, however, and a good leader can recognize this and adapt. Here at Kindred, we strive to have the best clinical quality on the market, and with regards to future aspirations, we will continue to strive to provide top notch care in New Jersey and adjust as needed.” K Company: Kindred Hospital of New Jersey- Morris County Contact: Michael Pizzano, CEO Address: 400 W Blackwell St, Dover, NJ 07801 Email:
[email protected] Telephone:9735373878 Website: www.khmorriscounty.com 1701CA09