In 2018, VNA began a Medicare Innovation pilot for home-based palliative
care. As one of only 100 hospices to participate nationwide and the only
North Texas hospice in the pilot, VNA launched this innovative approach to serious illness care. Our program, VNA Care Choices, provides supportive care services wherever the patient calls home and patients may continue to receive treatment from other providers while on service.
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I often get asked, “what is palliative care?” Simply put, palliative care is a type of supportive, clinical care that is patient and family-centered with a goal of improving quality of life for seriously ill patients and support for their caregivers. Palliative care involves addressing physical, intellectual, emotional, social and spiritual needs and to facilitate patient autonomy, access to information and choice.
VNA Care Choices also provides care coordination and supportive services in the home without discontinuing other treatment options. Along with the care provided by the patient’s current physician(s), VNA’s services will improve patient outcomes through the following:
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Supportive care services provided wherever the patient calls home
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VNA’s board-certified physician and her team make home visits and
prescribe medications to ease symptoms
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RN care coordination
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Work with the patient and family to develop a care plan, including
advanced directives
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Assist with communication between patient and care providers regarding
treatment options
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24/7 nurse access for triage services
VNA is excited to announce that we have two new team leaders for the VNA
Care Choices program.

Kelley Newcomer, M.D. is board certified in Internal Medicine and Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Dr. Newcomer serves as the Associate Medical Director of Adult and Pediatric Hospice for the Visiting Nurse Association of Texas. She also works at UT Southwestern training residents and fellows in hospice and palliative care. She has been taking care of patients in long-term care, palliative care, and hospice since 1999. Her research interests are advanced cancer palliation, aligning goals of care with cardiac interventions, and topical pain therapies. When not working, she loves reading and hiking.

John Caldwell, APRN, M.S., FNP-C is a board-certified Family Nurse
Practitioner since 2012. His specialties include ICU, emergency medicine, and in-home supportive care. John is a veteran of the US Army in the 82nd Airborne Division and lives in McKinney with his wife, two children, and their dog, Bentley. John enjoys flyfishing and traveling to Colorado in his spare time.
Click here
to learn more about the VNA Care Choices program.
If you are discussing palliative care for a loved one and have questions or
would like more information about VNA Care Choices, please contact us at gethelp@vnatexas.org.
Sincerely, Katherine
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