(March 4, 2008 - Santa Maria, CA) - A representative of Marian Medical Center has been invited to speak about Chronic Care Delivery at the upcoming Partnership for Quality Care Summit in Washington D.C. To an audience of federal and state policymakers, opinion leaders and health providers, Kathi Farrell, RN, BSN, PHN, coordinator of Marian Medical Center’s Congestive Heart Failure Program, will speak about the benefits of ongoing follow-up care for individuals with chronic disease.
The purpose of the Summit is to present a solution to a central reform challenge: how to afford high-quality health care for every American. The focus will be on how providers and caregivers have targeted high-cost chronic diseases and contained costs while improving quality and reforming our care delivery systems.
Marian’s Congestive Heart Failure Program is a model for this goal. The program provides follow-up care for patients who have been diagnosed with congestive heart failure. Patients receive education and resources to help them live healthier and reduce hospital re-admittance.
“Chronic disease care is key because 75 percent of healthcare costs are generated by a small number of chronic conditions,” said Farrell. “By improving care for these patients, providers can contain costs while improving patient health.”
The Partnership for Quality Care Summit will be held on Wednesday, March 19 in Washington, D.C.
About Marian Medical Center
Located in Santa Maria, California, Marian Medical Center is a not-for-profit hospital founded by the Sisters of Saint Francis in 1940. Our team of 1,300 employees and more than 260 physicians work daily to extend the mission of providing compassionate, high quality health care services to the Santa Maria Valley and surrounding communities. Marian Medical Center is a member of Catholic Healthcare West, the largest Catholic healthcare system based in the Western United States with 40 hospitals and medical centers in California, Arizona and Nevada. For more information about Marian Medical Center or Catholic Healthcare West, visit our website at www.marianmedicalcenter.org.
