Medicare Wellness Services – 225.258.2066 or 225.258.2067
« ReturnHistorically, hospitals commonly treated patients after they were sick. St. James Parish Hospital is following a new trend that helps Medicare patients avoid complications and emergencies by forming an ongoing relationship with them to help better manage their care. Our goal is to help patients better enjoy life by remaining as healthy and functional as possible. The hospital’s Care Coordinators will lead these wellness efforts.
Our Care Coordinators are registered nurses who will help patients seamlessly navigate through the healthcare system. The hospital invested in care coordination to improve patient satisfaction, quality of care, and clinical outcomes. Better managed care and ongoing relationships with patients with chronic conditions also leads to fewer re-admissions, ER visits, and unnecessary tests—each potentially resulting in reduced healthcare costs.
Both the hospital and its physicians feel confident this is a step in the right direction of improving the overall health in the St. James Parish community.
With the support of our family practice physicians, Care Coordinators are working to schedule Annual Wellness Visits with patients. During the visit, Care Coordinators will acquire a detailed health history to help determine possible risks, patient needs, and necessary screenings. The visit will conclude with a visit by the patient’s physician who will use the information acquired to make recommendations.
Besides earlier diagnosis of serious conditions, Annual Wellness Visits and associated screenings help caregivers better understand a patient’s changing health in order to recommend small changes to care plans, medications, and lifestyle that can keep patients safer and healthier.
Patients are also offered several no-cost screenings during their Annual Wellness Visit. Screenings are based on patient history and benefits. If patients choose to participate, our Care Coordinators will assist with scheduling.
- Mammogram (breast cancer)
- Colonoscopy/Cologuard (colon cancer)
- Hemoglobin A1C (diabetes)
- Diabetic eye exams
- Lung cancer screenings
- Vaccines (flu, pneumonia, COVID)
The goal of Chronic Care Management is to offer ongoing support to patients in order to help reduce complications and emergencies associated with chronic conditions. In addition, Chronic Care Management improves coordination between all caregivers and ultimately helps patients with life-altering conditions remain as healthy and functional as possible.
The program is covered by Medicare for traditional Medicare patients of the hospital’s primary care clinics—Lutcher Family Clinic, Poche Medical Clinic, and St. James West Bank Clinic. The patient must have at least two chronic conditions and have had a recent Annual Wellness Visit or visit with their primary care physician.
Once starting the program, patients can expect to develop a continuous relationship with the hospital’s Care Coordinators. These registered nurses work with patients to create a personalized care plan and goals. They will remain in contact to revisit goals and discuss referrals, consults, and test results. In addition, enrolled patients have 24/7 support as needed through a nurse hotline.
Call 225.258.2066 or 225.258.2067 to speak to one of our Care Coordinators or to schedule a wellness visit.