Page 14 - SFHN819pagesFINAL.qxp_SFHN 0608 Friday 5.0

Profiles IN LEADERSHIP

VITAS HEALTHCARE

How Can Hospice Help? DR. JOSEPH SHEGA:

VITAS Healthcare’s Partnership Revolutionizing the Delivery

Expert Has Answers. of End-of-Life Care at

VITAS® Healthcare
Hospice leaders understand their position along
the healthcare continuum because of their expert-
ise in end-of-life care. While death remains a taboo topic for most,
But hospice solutions can help a range of Joseph Shega, MD, has devoted his career to
healthcare providers improve care and meet improving the care of older adults at the end of life.
industry standards, says Erika Gaudio, senior vice In his role as senior vice president and chief med-
president of sales for Miami-based VITAS® ical officer for Miami-based VITAS Healthcare, the
Healthcare, the nation’s leading provider of end- nation’s leading provider of end-of-life care, Dr.
of-life care. Shega provides oversight of the overall medical
During her 10-year tenure at VITAS, Gaudio direction at VITAS programs in 14 states and the
and her team have created successful hospice- District of Columbia.
provider partnerships throughout South Florida He has worked with other VITAS teams to revo-
by leveraging knowledge, data and targeted solu- lutionize the company’s delivery of care using
tions, and by asking key questions of hospitals Erika Gaudio advanced technologies, strengthened by deploy-
and health systems, physician practices, capitated ment of mobile technology to improve the delivery
organizations, nursing and assisted-living facili- and experience of patient care in the field and at Dr. Joseph Shega
ties, health plans/private insurers, accountable care organizations, home health- the bedside. He also has pursued leadership oppor-
care agencies and BCPI Advanced participants. How can hospice: tunities, research, editorial initiatives and partnerships to reinforce VITAS’ posi-
• Improve your delivery of high-quality, cost-effective healthcare? tion as an industry leader and its guiding value to “put patients and families
• Help you meet ever-changing industry benchmarks and metrics? first.”
• Generate high satisfaction among patients and their families? During his six-year tenure at VITAS, Dr. Shega has:
• Bridge care gaps and solve your organization’s most pressing problems? • Expanded service offerings for high-risk and complex hospice patients
As Gaudio and her team educate, guide and offer solutions, they also support • Helped define palliative care offerings
common tasks faced by all healthcare professionals: • Incorporated scientific inquiry into VITAS’ mission as a hospice leader
• Improved prognostication to make sure seriously ill patients are referred to • Supported efforts to embed seamless mobile technology into the routine,
hospice in a timely manner. daily delivery of healthcare by more than 8,000 VITAS clinicians to patients and
• Improved comfort level managing difficult patient-family conversations families
that acknowledge ongoing decline and changes in symptoms, diagnoses and Dr. Shega has transformed death and dying into an acceptable and necessary
prognoses. topic of discussion among patients and their families–as they face life-and-death
• Access to data, knowledge and expertise that deepens understanding of hos- decisions–and among healthcare professionals as they care for patients. He
pice’s benefits and value proposition for their organization, patients and fami- addresses and influences numerous issues surrounding death, dying, hospice
lies. care and palliative care, both within VITAS and as a nationally recognized leader,
Under Gaudio’s leadership, VITAS has strengthened its internal process so researcher, editor and advocate; he has published more than 50 studies and arti-
that representatives understand prospective partners’ challenges and pain cles on hospice and palliative care.
points, can leverage internal/external data and industry studies, and become Just as he is transforming VITAS as an organization, Dr. Shega is transforming
trusted subject matter experts on leading hospice diagnoses. the practice of healthcare and guiding healthcare providers as they search for
Detailed patient case studies and information about hospice eligibility, proper cost-effective and innovative solutions that support patient-centered care,
timing of end-of-life interventions and the benefits of timely and compassionate improved healthcare delivery and organizational excellence.
hospice care, she says, are tailored to answer potential partners’ questions and
to identify problem-solving solutions.

14 August 2019 southfloridahospitalnews.com South Florida Hospital News