Goshen – Elant recently announced the introduction of the Elant Medical Practice, a new service developed to offer Elant residents more consistent access to medical personnel.
The Elant Medical Practice, the first of its kind in the Hudson Valley, includes a team of full-time physicians and nurse practitioners who work directly with residents to address day-to-day medical needs and to coordinate the care provided by various specialists. This innovative approach to medical care differs from the traditional “attending” model, where physicians often maintain their own practice while also treating those in nursing homes. The “attending” model is still used by a vast majority of other nursing and adult homes throughout the region.
“With a devoted and consistent staff, our patients and residents will have increased accessibility to our medical services and an opportunity to build relationships with the physicians and nurse practitioners,” said Donna G. McAleer, Elant’s president & CEO. “Our doctors and nurse practitioners are employees of Elant whose sole focus is to care for our patients and residents.”
Susan Miller, whose parents are residents of Glen Arden, Elant’s Continuing Care Retirement Community, and George Cheyne, an Elant at Goshen resident, have already felt the benefits of the Elant Medical Practice.
Miller said: “Really, there is nothing like having someone who is there every single day. It offers better continuity of care and allows issues to be addressed more quickly. No matter how busy they are, the medical staff always makes time to answer questions about my parents’ care, and I can say that I think my mother’s physical health is the best it’s been in years.”
Cheyne said: “It’s a comfort to know (the doctors and nurse practitioners) are close by. You can see them at the drop of a hat, and without an appointment. I really like that.”
According to Dr. Sukhdeep Kaur, vice president of Medical Affairs at Elant, Inc, and medical director for both Elant at Goshen and Glen Arden, the goals of the practice include reducing the necessity for hospitalization, reducing duplicate testing by careful coordination of patients’ medical needs, and creating a consistent set of criteria for care to avoid competing medical philosophies.
“Our residents and their families now have a sense of comfort because of our availability,” Dr. Kaur said. “In addition, communication and consistent care are key elements to what we are trying to accomplish here at Elant.”
The Elant Medical Practice is available at Elant at Goshen, Glen Arden, Elant at Newburgh, Elant at Fishkill, and Elant at Wappingers Falls.
“I feel like I am making a difference in people’s lives by taking the time to get to know them, to develop relationships with them,” Debra Steinhoff, Elant at Newburgh’s nurse practitioner, said. “That means we can more easily identify a change in a resident’s condition, allowing us to offer better care with better outcomes.”
“Because they know me and my history, I feel strongly that they are likely to recognize a new issue with my health before I do,” said Elant at Newburgh resident Joyce Lanier. “That offers such a wonderful sense of confidence.”
