News from the Noteworthy from Helios Care
Helios Care, Bassett Begin Collaborative Journey
In order to improve community well-being and strengthen local healthcare resources, Helios Care is excited to announce a strategic collaboration with Bassett Healthcare Network. This marks a significant step toward fostering a healthier and more connected community, bringing together two entities dedicated to the well-being of individuals and families in the region.
Helios Care is pleased to announce working with the Bassett Healthcare Network providers to identify and support seriously ill patients to gain earlier access to care that allows them to stay at home, wherever that may be. As reported last month, Helios Care is now in a collaboration with Bassett Healthcare Network to work to provide a more integrated and transparent connection so patients and their families can access the care they need, both palliative care and hospice, at the time they need these services.
To clarify what this means, Helios Care remains an independent provider and will work programmatically to provide a more seamless transition of care from one entity to another. The collaboration between Helios Care and Bassett Healthcare Network signifies a milestone in innovative care that is community-driven. The collaboration between the two organizations has the goal to streamline processes and reduce barriers to quality care where and when patients need it. This is an agreement that was reached to provide a more integrated delivery model with Bassett partnering with Helios Care for palliative and hospice care. This collaboration will prepare both parties for anticipated changes in the reimbursement system.
As a result of this new vision for hospice delivery, the Department of Health recently granted Helios Care a Certificate of Need Waiver to provide palliative and hospice services in two more counties to more fully support the patients in the Bassett Healthcare Network and the region.
Additionally, Helios Care is not limited to serving only Bassett patients. As an independent organization, it can serve all the residents of five counties—Otsego, Delaware, Schoharie, and now Chenango and Herkimer—whenever they are referred by any medical practitioner as well as by family, friends, and self-referrals.
Currently New York State is the last in the nation for hospice utilization and this model is intended to improve hospice services in underserved communities. Helios Care is forging a new way of integrating our service through a collaboration as opposed to an affiliate or subsidiary model. Helios Care is at the innovative forefront of this new healthcare shift and believes this may become a model for how other organizations provide quality healthcare across the birth to end-of-life continuum. This collaborative journey reflects our shared vision of a future where everyone has access to the care they need, fostering a thriving and connected community for generations to come.
Dan Ayres is president and chief executive officer of Helios Care.
