I wanted to mention how fantastic Kim is! She is always there to help, always so encouraging, and she really saved the day for me today after her shift had ended by helping with a difficult case. Thank you!

I received a call from a patient who wanted to compliment Paul Albushies, RN on the Weekend Team. Patient wanted me to know that Paul was excellent and thorough. "he did an amazing job with me and to top it all, he made me feel like he had known me for years even though he just met me. He is a great asset to your organization."

Thank you Paul from all of us. Keep up the good work and spirit.

I wanted to bring to your attention the outstanding work and quality of caring provided by the wonderful VNA Hospice Care team and hope that we can recognize them in some way. This team helped a very dear friend through her last days over a year ago. The email (below) is from her husband who is a close friend of ours.

When Maria needed hospice care, I promptly got in touch with Karen Chirsky and through her efforts the hospice team got organized and took over Maria's care.

I am particularly impressed with the following statement he made: "Based on Maria's and my hospitalizations, I have had experiences with a number of nurses at {Boston} hospitals. I can honestly say that the level of care and compassion provided by Vicky far exceeded anything we had experienced from the nurses at those well-reputed hospitals. When Vicky was unable to stop by, the substitute nurses were also superb!"

I commend the entire team and the management team that facilitates the compassion and care the individuals provide.

Thank you for all that you do.

Best regards,

Rita Advani

-------------------

Dear Rita,

I want to thank you immensely for your help in arranging truly outstanding hospice care for our beloved Maria. You were instrumental in setting us up with VNA Hospice Care. I also want to let VNA Hospice Care know how very appreciative Maria and I were of their services, and to specifically mention a couple of key people.

Vicky Falcon, the RN case manager, was absolutely outstanding! Vicky always came home at the appointed hour and spent plenty of time with us. She would examine Maria, talk with her, look after her, and especially take care of any pain/discomfort Maria might have been experiencing. Vicky seemed to not be in any hurry and always gave the impression that Maria was the only person in the world who mattered. She demonstrated a great deal of concern, gentleness, compassion, and empathy. This had to be seen to be believed! Vicky also spent time with me, providing me insights into what lay ahead, and guiding me to be better prepared to deal with the unfolding events. Based on Maria's and my hospitalizations, I have had experiences with a number of nurses at {Boston} hospitals. I can honestly say that the level of care and compassion provided by Vicky far exceeded anything we had experienced from the nurses at those well-reputed hospitals. When Vicky was unable to stop by, the substitute nurses were also superb!

Sandra Pierre Louis, a hospice aide, also provide great service. She would come in the morning and help Maria get cleaned up and ready for the day. Sandra was not only very efficient, but even more importantly she was extremely kindhearted. She exhibited a very tender and caring attitude that helped Maria and me. I never saw Sandra show any frustration even when Maria was unable to move or assist her. Sandra is an asset to the VNA!

David Pierce, the Chaplain, was really a source of great comfort. When he came home he spent time with us to understand the situation and what Maria and I were going through emotionally and spiritually. He helped us a great deal.

Overall, the care provided by VNA Hospice Care over those two-and-a-half months could not have been better! Thank you Rita, for your help with this.

"I love working with you guys! Everyone is so nice and it is easy to make a referral. You are my preferred provider! Many of our patients are from Atrius and it's so easy to make referrals using the Epic system."

Mary Ann from Dr. Wendel's office told me she always prefers to work with the VNA Care, and she "has worked with those other agencies and they cannot measure up."

Jen Bauman, Managed Care/Insurance Verification Assistant with the Finance department recently complimented the QI Department for their collaboration towards decreasing OASIS errors and expediting timely billing claims.

I want to acknowledge Joan Brosnahan, RN on the Weekend Team, for a job well done on a complicated IV case. Despite many challenges she faced to get the admission done on this patient, she remained calm and collected.

She worked for hours on that case to prevent the patient from going back to the hospital. All she kept saying is that we need to take care of this patient and went back out later that night to ensure the patient was safe.

We thank you Joan for going the extra miles and for being who you are

QI received a big THANK YOU recently from field clinicians Maureen Mallett and Meredith Roberts regarding the addition of the new Functional Items Risk/ADS Tab!

Recently Shirley Lucier, WOC in the Leominster Office complimented both Pia DesRochers, Clinical Documentation Analyst and Marybeth Cafarella, Care Coordinator in the Leominster office for their collaboration with solving a wound etiology mystery which insured that the patient's wound documentation was accurately captured and that the wounds received proper treatment!

"That was a great list of his problems. I have not seen such an all-inclusive list like that. I really appreciate all of the work to get that all in."