Silver Cross Advanced Heart Failure Clinic a Lifeline for Patients

Dawn Slocik and her son moved from Massachusetts to Homer Glen in December when her 79-year-old father, Steve, was having chronic health issues. 

Just before Christmas, Steve was released from a skilled nursing facility. Dawn took him home with his medicines – and a lot of questions.

Then she received a call from Kristen Hill, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, a nurse practitioner and program coordinator at the Advanced Heart Failure Clinic at Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox.  

Hill remembered Steve following several hospitalizations. 

“Once I learned that he was discharged home, I gave Dawn a call. Since it was the end of the day coming up on a long holiday weekend, I just wanted to check in and make sure he was doing okay and settled in at home. I placed a call to introduce myself to Dawn, and provided a phone number where she could get in contact with us if needed. We discussed the coordination of some additional follow-ups, and I provided some education about heart failure monitoring, etc.” explained Hill. 

“At the time of the call, Dawn was very stressed over the instructions that were given from the nursing home, with particular concern about the meds Steve was sent home on. She said that the long list of medications ‘just didn’t feel right’ and she was concerned about giving them. It turns out, there were several discrepancies in the med list, which I was able to help her sort through – providing appropriate orders and corrections,” she said. 

Hill said Steve still wasn’t doing well at that point, being homebound and unable to come into the clinic in New Lenox for additional appointments, adding to his daughter’s stress. 

From the initial phone call on, Hill remained in regular contact with Dawn. It was going to be a challenge trying to monitor him while not being able to assess him in person, so she arranged to provide Steve with Silver Cross Hospital’s remote monitoring devices, which provide automatic uploading of blood pressure and weights through an app called Carium.  

“Through remote monitoring, a virtual visit, daily phone calls/messages on the portal and collaboration with his home health team, he was able to get through that challenging time,” Hill said. 

Dawn said she downloaded the app to remain in constant contact with Hill. One of the first messages she sent to Hill was, “Thank you so much.” 

“I am so grateful for Kristen. I don’t know what we would have done without her.” 

Although her father still has health concerns, Dawn said he’s now able to walk with a walker and was able to make an in-person visit to the clinic at Silver Cross in January. 

Hill was thrilled to see him. “He was in much better condition than our initial visit,” she said. 

A Lifeline for Patients

Hill said heart failure is a leading cause for hospitalization, and the number one reason for hospital readmissions, particularly in the Medicare population. Silver Cross established the Advanced Heart Failure Clinic to help ensure that all patients have access to the care and resources they need to manage their chronic disease. 

The Advanced Heart Failure Clinic offers an opportunity for patients to be seen by an Advanced Heart Failure physician and a nurse practitioner. The frequency and duration of the appointments depend on the needs of each patient. Cardiologists on staff at the Advanced Heart Failure Clinic collaborate with the patient’s primary cardiology team to provide optimal care. 

Hill also works closely with others involved in a patient’s care, including inpatient nursing, the post-acute care management team, home health and palliative care groups. 

“The excellent post-acute management team diligently follows up on all heart failure patients, after they’re discharged from the hospital,” Hill said. “Oftentimes, when a concern or challenge is identified, they will reach out right away, and we will work together to try to help the patient, looping them into the clinic when appropriate.” 

Getting patients on optimal guideline-directed medical therapy in a timely manner and ensuring close follow-up is important for this patient population. Heart failure patients tend to require quite frequent clinic visits and check-ins with their provider. 

Sometimes, it’s just one visit to the clinic for a post-hospital assessment, review and optimization of medications, education, and ensuring proper transition of care plans in place; other times, like with Steve Slocik and his daughter, it’s an ongoing relationship. 

Feeling So Much Safer

Sharon Lindstrom of Morris is grateful for the ongoing relationship with the Heart Failure Clinic at Silver Cross. 

Since a bout with rheumatic fever when she was 7, Lindstrom has had issues with her heart, including atrial fibrillation (AFib) beginning more than 20 years ago.

After working with her cardiologist during that time, Lindstrom, now 78, said trips to see him in Oak Lawn were inconvenient, even though she still drives. So, he recommended checking out the Advanced Heart Failure Clinic at Silver Cross. 

“He wanted to put me in good hands,” she said. “At the clinic, they explained to me what I needed to do when something comes up suddenly. And I can call Kristen any time with a question. If I say, ‘As soon as you get a chance,’ she knows to call right away. And Kristen explains things to me so I can understand. She’s always ready to listen. They care like an old country doctor.” 

Just like Steve Slocik and his family, Lindstrom also checks in with Hill every day through the convenient mobile phone app, while monitoring her blood pressure, weight and symptoms. Hill recommends labs at a local hospital when necessary. 

“Even if we don’t see her in person very often, she has told me that she likes having someone to keep an eye on things and someone she can go to if a problem arises,” Hill said. 

That’s an understatement, Lindstrom said. 

“I was scared to leave the hospital. I thought, ‘Who is going to take care of me?’ Things can change so quickly, and you can’t wait three months for an answer. I had a blood test recently, and Kristen saw something was off. She addressed it right away. I feel so much safer with this clinic.” 

The Advanced Heart Failure Clinic at Silver Cross is located in Pavilion A, Suite 450, on the campus of Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox. For more information, call 815-300-3811 or visit www.silvercross.org/heart