How we support patients
- Customized, home-based palliative care support
- Physician-directed care
- RN care coordination
- 24/7 nurse access
- Symptom management
- Preserve treatment flexibility
- Emergency room/hospitalization prevention
VNA Care Choices
Flexible, customized care.
Trusted Palliative Care
The VNA Care Choices program provides palliative care, care coordination, and supportive services in the home without discontinuing other treatment options. Patients receive supportive care while keeping flexibility with treatment decisions. Our expert staff will also help you and your family navigate the medical system, weigh options, and communicate with your physicians while helping with symptom management and clinical needs.
Clinical Excellence
VNA Care Choices was launched in 2018 when VNA participated in the only Medicare-sponsored home-based palliative care program in North Texas. The program focuses on improving quality of life, patient/family satisfaction, and reduction of emergency room visits and acute hospital stays.
Learn more about our Clinical Quality measures.
What to Expect
Patients come to us through a physician referral, or families reach out to us directly. If a physician refers you to our care, we will work directly with the doctor to review all medical records and the patient’s condition. If you reach out to us directly, we can connect with the patient’s physician to begin the referral and medical review process for you.
A VNA Care Choices Community Liaison will reach out to you to conduct a benefits review and complete any necessary paperwork. Once the paperwork is complete, a nurse will visit the patient for a full evaluation which will inform the plan of care.
If the patient meets eligibility criteria, he/she is admitted to our care and a customized care plan is put into action, which will include an interdisciplinary team and visits designed to meet his/her unique needs. Families can expect updates from their dedicated RN Case Manager after each visit.
The Care Team
The program gives patients and families greater control in care decisions by enabling patients to continue receiving treatment while receiving supportive care in the home. You will have access to a dedicated care team to manage symptoms along with spiritual, social and emotional support. Your care team will include the following professionals:
Your RN case manager will perform thorough assessments to establish a plan of care in collaboration with your family. VNA will work with your physician(s) to coordinate your treatment plan. An expert on symptom control, your nurse is a resource to address your concerns.
A medical social worker will be your family’s connection to help you access any needed community resources. Your social worker will offer counseling and emotional support throughout the process.
Spiritual counselors are available to provide comfort and support. VNA is able to provide spiritual counseling for all faiths and creeds. If requested, the VNA Chaplain can work directly with the patient’s clergy to provide additional support.
VNA volunteers offer compassionate support and companionship for patients and their families. Volunteers can serve in multiple roles including: providing caregiver respite, reading and/or listening to music with the patient, documenting patient stories and memories, running light errands, and providing emotional support.
How Can We Help?
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. There is a chat option, contact form, or you may call or email us via the contact information at the bottom of this page.
Family & Caregiver
Resources
FAQ
VNA Care Choices provides supportive care services in the home. Patients may continue to receive curative treatment from other Medicare providers while using this program.
The program gives patients and families greater control in care decisions. You will have access to a dedicated care team to manage pain and other symptoms along with spiritual, social and emotional support. Your care team will include the following professionals:
- Nurse
- Dedicated social worker
- Chaplain
- Volunteers
Patients may be eligible for the VNA Care Choices program if they meet the following criteria:
- Diagnosis of CHF, COPD, HIV/AIDS, end-stage cancer, end-stage liver disease, or other end stage pulmonary disease
- Terminal diagnosis with a prognosis of six months of life or fewer (there is no penalty to the physician or the patient if the patient lives longer than six months)
- Enrolled in either a traditional or managed Medicare plan
- Living in a traditional home, assisted living or nursing facility
This new approach provides care coordination and supportive services in the home without discontinuing other treatment options. Your continued care along with VNA’s supportive services will improve patient outcomes through the following:
- Supportive care services provided wherever the patient calls home
- VNA’s board certified physician and her team make home visits and prescribe medications to ease symptoms
- RN care coordination
- Work with the patient and family to develop a care plan, including advanced directives
- Assist with communication between you and care providers regarding treatment options
- 24/7 nurse access for triage services
Both hospice and palliative care provide symptom management and comfort for serious and life-threatening illnesses. The most important difference is that palliative care allows a patient to maintain their current curative treatments and physician visits while also receiving in-home support. In hospice, one can still maintain the physician of choice to oversee care, but when one “elects” the hospice benefit, they are choosing to forgo curative treatments for comfort measures and the focus shifts from quantity of life to quality of life.
Selecting the right care at the right time is an important decision.
The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) provides this helpful guide to navigate these options:
https://www.nhpco.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/PalliativeCare_VS_Hospice.pdf
Yes. Your own physician can continue to oversee and direct the care.
Please contact VNA directly at gethelp@vnatexas.org or call 1(800) CALL-VNA, or let your physician know that you request VNA as your palliative care provider. You have the right, by law, to choose your palliative caregiver and VNA will provide the quality of care that you know you can trust.
Your VNA Care Choices Team will order all the appropriate equipment, medical supplies and medications to ensure the patient’s comfort in the home.
VNA Care Choices provides palliative care in many cases through Medicare or your insurance plan. For specific questions regarding coverage, please contact VNA.
Please contact VNA directly at gethelp@vnatexas.org or call 214-689-0000.
No, VNA does not store any client data on its website at vnatexas.org.
Yes. For those experiencing loss and grief, our team is here to help. Please reach out to our grief support team at griefcare@vnatexas.org.
Service Areas
VNA Care Choices is available across 16 counties in Texas, including:
Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Fannin, Grayson, Henderson, Johnson, Kaufman, Rockwall, Van Zandt, Wise
We also serve parts of the following counties.
Cooke, Hunt, Navarro, Tarrant
VNA Headquarters & Dallas Branch
1420 W. Mockingbird Lane
700
Dallas, TX 75247
(214) 689-0000
Counties Served: Dallas, parts of Tarrant and parts of Johnson
VNA Ann’s Haven Branch
2800 Shoreline
250
Denton, TX 76210
(940) 349-5900
Counties Served: Denton, parts of Tarrant, Wise and Cooke
East Texas Branch
874 Ed Hall Drive
105
Kaufman, TX 75142
(972) 962-7500
Counties Served: Ellis, Henderson, Hunt, Kaufman, Navarro, Rockwall & Van Zandt
Collin Branch
7290 Virginia Parkway
2300
McKinney, TX 75071
(972) 562-0140
Counties Served: Collin, Grayson, Fannin and Hunt
Anonymous Patient
Testimonials
“I appreciate that VNA hospice care and palliative care work in harmony. Also, that VNA palliative care extended the care I had with UT Southwestern.”