Hampton Roads Magazine Highlights JenCare’s Cardiac Program Success

At JenCare Senior Medical Center, we honor seniors with affordable VIP care that delivers better health. Committed to giving our patients industry-leading access to primary care physicians and specialist doctors, we nurture the outstanding physician-patient relationships and collaboration that is so vital to optimizing health outcomes. JenCare rates of emergency room visits and hospital stays, like those of other ChenMed medical centers operating in six states, are significantly lower than the average among comparable Medicare beneficiaries.

By giving our patients substantively more face-to-face time with the PCPs serving as their total care champions and by empowering patients with the knowledge needed to be fully engaged in helping improve their own health, JenCare helps the seniors it’s blessed to serve stay healthy.

Detailing a notable example of JenCare’s commitment to empowering patients with relevant education, Hampton Roads Physician magazine recently wrote about JenCare’s Laurie Salerno, MS, ANP-BC, and the congestive heart failure class she conducts with Ian Persaud, MD, Medical Director of Cardiology for JenCare in the Tidewater region of Virginia.

With the goal of keeping patients with progressive heart disease out of the hospital, PCP Salerno has successfully led a series of six-week classes for groups of JenCare patients living with congestive heart failure (CHF). The interactive course covers medication, nutrition, exercise, symptom awareness, and managing other chronic conditions.

By staying absolutely aligned with best practices for CHF management, Salerno’s efforts have paid off. For example, in the three months prior to one group class she led, 44 participants had 114 admissions to the hospital. In the six months following that class, those same 44 patients had just 14 hospital admissions. And, while the patient group had 60 admissions for a cardiac diagnosis in the three months prior to the class, there were only three admissions for a cardiac diagnosis during the months following the course.

JenCare’s four Tidewater centers, along with others in Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, New Orleans, and Illinois, leverage ChenMed’s innovative, value-based care model. As a result, JenCare clinical leaders frequently find meaningful ways to invest in patients up front, and to provide uncompromising quality care year-round. In the Hampton Roads Physician article, Salerno notes, “I love having the time to develop close relationships with my patients. It’s easy to be passionate about my job.”

You can read more here about Laurie Salerno and how her team in Tidewater ensures all JenCare patients receive the highest level of care.