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A Spirit of Care that Considers the Needs of the Patient as a Whole Person

When you look at the "how and why" of what we do, we hope it conveys a spirit of care that always considers the needs of the patient as a whole person. It's that spirit of care... caring from the heart... that sets us apart.

AmHeart Hospice Philosophy of Care

AmHeart Hospice is a freestanding, independent hospice program currently serving the St. Louis area and 14 surrounding Missouri counties. It is not hospital-based, nor is it owned by any outside agency, health system or network. AmHeart is a Medicare/Medicaid State-certified program whose sole purpose is hospice care. Although structured as a for-profit corporation, AmHeart operates no differently from any quality not-for-profit agency, with two exceptions: we do not engage in fundraising activities and we are required to pay taxes. Our goal is to provide all appropriate care and services to patients and families in a cost-effective and responsible manner.

Our philosophy is that our patients and families always come first. When we do what is best for our patients, everyone wins.

When we admit a patient to our program, we are treating the whole person, not just the terminal condition. Patients who are admitted to hospice care have been compromised by the disease process and frequently develop symptoms that, without careful assessment, may be interpreted as unrelated to the terminal condition. Because it can be a difficult process to differentiate what is “related to the terminal illness” and what is needed for the patient’s comfort, we work closely with facility staff and families to identify the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of our patients and build our plan of care to meet those needs.

We use our resources not just to treat, but to prevent complications such as skin breakdown brought on by the disease process (and thus further reduce expenses to Medicare, Medicaid, and other payors), without compromising our commitment to palliative and supportive care, rather than aggressive treatment of the terminal illness. We provide comprehensive skilled and personal care visits, which oftentimes last an hour or longer. Those visits are meaningful because we do head-to-toe assessments at each skilled visit, and both nurses and aides provide whatever personal care is needed for the patient’s comfort at the time of their visit. This unhurried physical care creates a level of trust and comfort that allows us to better serve the patient and family’s emotional and spiritual needs.

We support and encourage the feedback of our nursing staff to share their observations and recommendations. We want them to know they can make a real difference. Our staff understand and appreciate that. This professional respect creates a positive “corporate culture” for AmHeart and makes a real difference in the way care is delivered.

When you look at the “how and why” of what we do, we hope it conveys a spirit of care that always considers the needs of the patient, as a whole person. It’s that spirit of care - - caring from the heart - - that sets us apart. We continually evaluate our program using input from satisfaction surveys and conversations with the other health care professionals we work with, in order to deliver the best in hospice care.

We believe there really is a difference.