Mary Wholey
June 2024
Mary
Wholey
,
RN
Care Coordination
Mary Washington Hospital
Fredericksburg
,
VA
United States
Rather than being deterred, Mary accepted the challenge of finding an accepting hospice agency.
We are nominating Mary for her exemplary efforts and compassionate patient care. Mary assisted a 56-year-old terminally ill patient with Stage IV pancreatic cancer to meet and exceed her unique discharge planning needs. Upon finding out the patient wanted to be discharged home with hospice care to spend her precious remaining time with family, she worked tirelessly to meet this goal. Mary made an instant connection with the patient, her mother, and her daughters. She focused on their physical, emotional, and end-of-life psychological needs. In anticipation of discharge, Mary consistently advocated that the patient’s successful symptom management needs were addressed and met by the interdisciplinary team. She also researched the patient health insurance coverages to ensure the patient’s hospice goal could be achieved.
Heartbreakingly, Mary found out that the patient did not have hospice benefits. Unfortunately, the MW hospice team and the MW Foundation denied the hospice charity request. Rather than being deterred, Mary accepted the challenge of finding an accepting hospice agency. She contacted every local hospice agency by phone to explain the patient’s situation and implored them to review her request for charity care. Mary found an agency to accept the patient and even assisted with completion of the charity application. Mary’s coordination of the patient’s complex needs continued throughout her inpatient admission and in preparation for discharge. She continually engaged the multidisciplinary team in the unique details and processes necessary for the patient’s special comfort goals. Mary was able to guide the team due to her many years of cancer/oncology nursing experience.
The patient was able to be discharged home with a hospice care team that is providing the patient with continuous infusion of pain medicine to ensure her substantial pain management needs are met. Their chaplain also recently conducted a commitment ceremony for the patient and her fiancé as the patient has successfully achieved her goal of being at home with her family.
We felt it important to highlight Mary’s extraordinary efforts to meet the needs of this special patient throughout her admission, preparing for discharge and following discharge. She prioritized this patient’s dignity and quality of life in a way that Mary found her standard protocol without seeing the remarkable nature of her patient care. Mary does not seek the celebration of her extraordinary professional achievements for all patients, but this one warranted we submit for a DAISY Award consideration.
The ripple effect of Mary’s efforts for this patient and family will not only remain as a lasting memory for them but also with us. She exemplifies the true meaning of compassionate, patient centered care and is a true role model for all of us within the Care Coordination team.
Heartbreakingly, Mary found out that the patient did not have hospice benefits. Unfortunately, the MW hospice team and the MW Foundation denied the hospice charity request. Rather than being deterred, Mary accepted the challenge of finding an accepting hospice agency. She contacted every local hospice agency by phone to explain the patient’s situation and implored them to review her request for charity care. Mary found an agency to accept the patient and even assisted with completion of the charity application. Mary’s coordination of the patient’s complex needs continued throughout her inpatient admission and in preparation for discharge. She continually engaged the multidisciplinary team in the unique details and processes necessary for the patient’s special comfort goals. Mary was able to guide the team due to her many years of cancer/oncology nursing experience.
The patient was able to be discharged home with a hospice care team that is providing the patient with continuous infusion of pain medicine to ensure her substantial pain management needs are met. Their chaplain also recently conducted a commitment ceremony for the patient and her fiancé as the patient has successfully achieved her goal of being at home with her family.
We felt it important to highlight Mary’s extraordinary efforts to meet the needs of this special patient throughout her admission, preparing for discharge and following discharge. She prioritized this patient’s dignity and quality of life in a way that Mary found her standard protocol without seeing the remarkable nature of her patient care. Mary does not seek the celebration of her extraordinary professional achievements for all patients, but this one warranted we submit for a DAISY Award consideration.
The ripple effect of Mary’s efforts for this patient and family will not only remain as a lasting memory for them but also with us. She exemplifies the true meaning of compassionate, patient centered care and is a true role model for all of us within the Care Coordination team.