Tag: respiratory care

We invite you to join SuperCare Health team members from across the country as we honor National Patient Recognition Week from February 1-7, 2024. During this important awareness week and all year long, SuperCare Health remains committed to increasing access to care and providing the highest quality programs and products to patients with conditions including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cystic fibrosis, pulmonary fibrosis, neuromuscular disorders, asthma, sleep apnea, and more. Increasing access to care is particularly important in light of recent studies focused on the patient experience. In 2021, The Health Information National Trends Survey found that only 52.8 percent of adults felt their healthcare providers involved them in decisions about their healthcare as much as they wanted. Additionally, the study reported that fewer than 27% of adults believed their healthcare provider helped them understand their diagnoses and prescriptions. SuperCare Health is on the frontlines battling these statistics through comprehensive programs that better connect patients and their providers while helping patients follow their prescribed care plans. As we continue the celebration of National Patient Recognition Week, let’s hear from SuperCare Health’s leading Respiratory Therapists about how patients have shaped their careers and lives. 

“Giving a patient their quality of life back is life-changing. When someone has difficulty breathing, it affects everything they do in their everyday life. To hear that a mom was finally able to go to her son’s baseball game, a spouse went to the grocery store, or a grandparent was finally able to join a family vacation. It all makes everything so worth it. It’s truly rewarding to hear how we have touched the lives of our patients in big and small ways. Our team of respiratory therapists works together to give our patients hope, and we are so proud to see them succeed and do the things they so badly want to do. Our patients continue to inspire us every day!”

Lorie Dickey, CRP (Certified Respiratory Therapist),  RCP (Respiratory Care Practitioner)

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“Patients are the heart and soul of what we do. When they need our services most, it can be a difficult time in their lives. Our job is to treat each patient with respect and dignity while providing care that will improve their quality of life. It isn’t always easy, but when I am a part of this process, it allows me to see how great service can truly uplift a person’s life. I am honored to be a part of my patients’ lives, and I know how much it means to them when we make their care a priority.”

Josh Wilhelm, RAE (Respiratory Account Executive)

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“Working with patients for more than 30 years has given me the unique opportunity to support people from all backgrounds and walks of life with a variety of health conditions. Each unique patient has a different need, whether it be educating them on their disease process, teaching them how to use their medical equipment, or just being there to hear their frustrations. Throughout the years, I have enjoyed helping my patients adjust to their new challenges so that they can get back to their quality of life. There are many patients I have met throughout the years who have inspired me, even with the simplest of gestures, like meeting their four-legged companions or sharing a cup of soup. I will never forget them.”

Robert Perea, CRP (Certified Respiratory Therapist)

About SuperCare Health

SuperCare Health is a comprehensive, high-touch, high-tech, post-acute healthcare organization that manages patients with chronic conditions and provides a broad range of therapies, including ventilation, oxygen, CPAP/BiPAP, medication optimization, nebulizers and nebulized medications, airway clearance and mobilization, enteral supplies, and more. Utilizing cutting-edge technologies combined with quality clinical services, SuperCare Health’s services, programs, and products support cost savings, improved patient outcomes, and streamlined care coordination. 

In recognition of National Pharmacists Day on January 12, 2024, we sat down with SuperCare Health’s Director of Clinical Services and Head Pharmacist of more than six years, Ali Khorasani, PharmD, BCMTMS. He shared how pharmacists are shaping the healthcare experience now more than ever and explained the importance of forming trusting relationships with patients. Check out our conversation here.

Q: Why do you love interacting with patients?

  A: There is a unique relationship that forms when a patient walks into a pharmacy, whether it’s their first visit or their hundredth. Whether it’s for a regular flu shot or refills on a lifesaving medication. It’s all about building trust with patients and letting them know they can count on me and my staff to deliver what they need to stay healthy. When we build trust, patients know our advisement is valuable and are more likely to follow their care plans. Earning the trust of my patients is the greatest reward I could ask for. It’s why I’m so dedicated to my work.

 Q: Can you share a special moment in your career where you made a difference in a patient’s life?

A: When I worked in New York, a regular patient came in with a prescription as they often did. But this time, there would have been a dangerous drug interaction if taken as prescribed. I coordinated with their physician to update the prescription and helped the patient with a care plan that was safe and easy to follow.  The patient ended up being a popular celebrity, and I served them for years until my last day working in New York. When they found out I was relocating, they brought me a very heartfelt gift. I still think about how special it was to help that patient. 

Q: Many people only see pharmacists as the face behind a retail counter. What do you want patients to know about the work you do every day?

A: At our core, the most important part of a pharmacist’s role is ensuring medication is dispensed safely. It’s not just about reading what a doctor writes and following that direction, though that’s part of it. So much goes on behind the scenes to verify drug interactions, allergies, sensitivities, and even a patient’s ability to take their medications as directed. We look into all aspects of the patient’s history and current condition to make sure nothing was missed in the ER, hospital, or busy clinic. Whatever a physician has ordered, the pharmacist must complete that cycle and clearly communicate the next steps to patients.   

Q: What has changed the most in your field since you began your career nearly two decades ago?

A: I think the greatest changes have affected how pharmacists do business and serve patients. We’re no longer a field of medicine based mainly on brick-and-mortar retail shops. There are now more specialized practices within the field. Pharmacists are now required to receive and maintain degrees and licenses on par with MDs. Changes like these are centered around integrating pharmacists into the healthcare experience and asking them to play an active role in their patients’ care. This enables us to take on many of the responsibilities that come with managing care plans, which widens the scope of our practice and allows us to do so much more to help our community. Pharmacists are now able to be boots on the ground in hospitals, clinics, and schools, increasing access to care where patients need our support the most. All of these positive changes have a direct influence on improving patient outcomes.

Q: How has the advancement of medical technology affected your everyday practice?  

A: One of my biggest passions is figuring out how I can make it easier for my patients to access their medications and healthcare plans. Technology has really expanded that access in ways we never anticipated 20-30 years ago. Rather than the conventional way of picking up the phone, waiting on hold for ages, and figuring it out, we can now help people much more efficiently with well-managed online systems. It reduces errors, minimizes wait times, and provides more accessible information to patients. In short, patients can get everything they need faster. And that makes everyone happy.

Q: Why did you choose a career in pharmacy?

A: Coming from a family of physicians and dentists, we all shared a passion for helping people get the care they need. I especially wanted a career where I could practice medicine while supporting the growth of a business and providing access to care in different communities. I wanted the chance to interact with people, make a difference close to home, and help as many people as possible. Pharmacists are usually one of the first providers a patient talks to when beginning treatment for a condition, and we’re often the most accessible person on their care team. A patient can walk into any pharmacy, and a lot of times, the first face they really feel like they can trust is the pharmacist. That’s exactly where I wanted to take my work.

Q: Who helped guide your studies and early career?

A: From the time I began pharmacy school, every instructor and preceptor had such an impact on me. On each rotation, I had a new person come into my life and teach me something valuable. It was so interesting to observe the varying ways that different people would deliver care and run their businesses. I was a willing learner and wanted to soak up every ounce of advice I was given, so I savored opportunities to learn from everyone everywhere I went. Now that I’m more seasoned in my career, I completely understand the choices everyone made and why they taught me what they did.   

Q: What advice do you have for pharmacy students today considering pharmacy as their specialty?

  A: Many people only understand pharmacy as a typical retail store in their community. But there’s so much more to this field. I want students to understand that within pharmacy, there are many different options for what our day-to-day can look like. You might work in a hospital, a clinic, an office, or behind a desk. Being a pharmacist can go way beyond dispensing medications and counseling patients at the counter. We have the potential to impact all aspects of our patients’ lives. We get to be the first trusted face to many patients who need help taking their next steps towards healing. We get to help coordinate care so patients receive the comprehensive support they need. Pharmacists are often on the frontlines of improving medication management and driving better patient outcomes. It truly is the flexible and fulfilling career most people want when they go into medicine. 

Thank you for joining SuperCare Health in celebration of National Pharmacists Day. We hope you enjoyed this behind-the-scenes look at one of the most dynamic specialties in the field of medicine. To become a patient of our online pharmacy, sign up today by clicking here. You can also submit a script for new medications and quick refills here. To get in touch with our pharmacists, click here.  

Nicole Rodriguez

Director of Respiratory Care

Nicole Rodriguez brings two decades of experience to her role as a Respiratory Therapist at SuperCare Health. She oversees clinical protocols, tech-driven population health programs, and patient engagement initiatives. Nicole is dedicated to empowering patients through compassionate education and support.

When managing chronic respiratory conditions in the home setting, patient adherence is one of the most significant hurdles for healthcare providers. Patient independence, support system, and daily routines all play a role in a unique and occasionally tumultuous journey that, when left unchecked, can lead to unfavorable outcomes. For healthcare providers, the importance of this endeavor is evident: patient adherence is the gateway to improved health, reduced admissions, and more favorable cost-related outcomes. While these reasons carry importance within the healthcare system, they alone rarely prove sufficient to drive adherence from the patient’s point of view properly.   In reality, it’s not our “why” that matters most, but the patients.

Motivational Therapy is one of the tools we can use to help bridge the gap between our clinical expectations and the patient’s reality. Motivational therapy is a patient-centered approach that helps individuals identify and explore their intrinsic motivations, set achievable goals, and develop the resilience and self-efficacy needed to make positive changes in their lives. In the words of motivational therapist Stephen Rollnick, “It’s not about telling patients what to do; it’s about helping them find their own reasons to change.” 

Implementing a motivational approach with patients at home boosts outcomes and fosters a vital bond between the patient and their homecare team. At SuperCare Health, our Respiratory Therapists are trained to help establish and shape the landscape of each patient’s motivational journey.  This process helps to engrain trust and support throughout the various stages of the patient’s disease progression and overall care plan.

Here are a few strategies that you can use to help your clinicians enhance their motivational skills:

• Training and Education: Provide comprehensive training on motivational interviewing techniques and motivational therapy.
• Role Modeling:  Consider peer-to-peer mentoring programs to facilitate knowledge sharing and skill development. Conduct case reviews to identify what works and needs improvement in patient motivation techniques.
• Goal moderation: Teach clinicians to break larger goals into smaller, manageable steps, making progress more tangible and motivating.
• Strength-Based Approaches: Guide clinicians in identifying and building upon the strengths and resources that patients already possess.  Help them frame discussions to highlight patients’ past successes and capabilities.

By implementing these and many more strategies, you can help clinicians develop and refine their motivational skills, ultimately leading to better patient engagement, adherence, and outcomes in the healthcare setting.

Managing chronic respiratory conditions at home can be challenging due to patient adherence issues. Motivational therapy, a patient-centered approach, can help bridge the gap between clinical expectations and patient reality. SuperCare Health offers trained Respiratory Therapists to support patients on their motivational journey, fostering trust and support. To enhance clinicians’ motivational skills, consider providing training, peer mentoring, goal moderation, and strength-based approaches.

If you need support in managing chronic respiratory conditions at home, don’t hesitate to reach out to SuperCare Health. Our Respiratory Therapists are here to help you on your unique motivational journey, ensuring better patient engagement and improved healthcare outcomes.