Conditions and Treatment

Our clinical care team has the experience to manage complex and chronic conditions. With personalized approach to patient care, we are able to deliver high quality, customized care to patients with a variety of needs.

Congestive Heart Failure

Congestive heart failure describes the inability of the heart to adequately pump the amount of blood needed, causing fluid to leak from capillary blood vessels. The symptoms of congestive heart failure can include fatigue, shortness of breath, and swelling. It is one of the leading causes of hospitalizations nationwide. Reason for heart failure vary, however, most doctors agree that a precise diagnosis and coordinated treatment plan that often includes education, lifestyle modifications, addressing potentially reversible factors, appropriate therapies, and properly taking prescribed medications allow patients to effectively manage their condition without repeat visits to the hospital.

The Premier Point Approach

Initial Consultation with the patient, family or caregiver to review the physicians prescribed plan of treatment and the patient's goals and potential outcomes
A review of the patient's current diet regimen including salt intake, food preparation, and establishing an appropriate referral to a dietitian
Coordination with a medical social worker to evaluate and determine the need for additional outside services
Ongoing reviews of their prescribed medications including proper dosages, creating refill reminders to maintain an adequate supply, and educating the patient on signs and symptoms of potential drug interactions
Teaching the patient how to recognize changes in their health and adaptive behaviors to avoid serious illness

Diabetes is the condition in which the body does not properly process food for use as energy. Most of the food we eat is turned into glucose for our bodies to use as energy. The pancreas makes insulin to help glucose get into the cells of our bodies. When you have diabetes, your body either doesn't make enough insulin or can't use it's own insulin as well as it should, which causes sugars to build up in the blood. Causes of type 1 diabetes, also known as insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus or juvenile diabetes, include autoimmune, genetic, and environmental factors such as a virus. Causes of type II diabetes include older age, obesity, family history of diabetes, prior history of gestational diabetes, impaired glucose tolerance, physical inactivity, and race/ethnicity.

Treatment could include diet control, exercise, home blood glucose testing, and in some cases, oral medication and/or insulin. Approximately 40 percent of people with type 2 diabetes require insulin injections. Some people, especially those with pre-diabetes, may not experience symptoms initially. In type 1 diabetes, symptoms tend to come on quickly and be more severe. Symptoms for type 1 or type 2 diabetes could include:

Increased thirst and extreme hunger
Frequent urination
Fatigue and irritability
Blurred vision
Slow-healing sores
Frequent infections, such as gums or skin infections and vaginal infections

Approximately 33% of all people in the US over the age of 20 years have hypertension and are taking antihypertensive medications, according to a study conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics. Blood pressure is the force exerted by the blood against the walls of blood vessels, and the magnitude of this force depends on the cardiac output and the resistance of the blood vessels. Hypertension is a blood pressure higher than 140 over 90 mmHg (millimeters of mercury). Blood pressure has a natural variation – it lowers during sleep, and rises in response to excitement, anxiety and physical activity. Elevated readings over an extended period of time, however, are contributing factors to a variety of illnesses including kidney disease, heart attacks, and strokes. Specific causes of high blood pressure are unknown but is most often attributed to lifestyle factors such as physical inactivity, a salt-rich diet created by processed and fatty foods, and alcohol and tobacco use. Lifestyle changes are the most regularly initiated course of treatment for hypertension, and it can be as effective as drug treatment with the added advantage of positive effects on heart health.

The Premier Point Approach

Premier Point clinicians rely heavily on communication and education to help patients understand and manage behaviors that to hypertension. Our patients are taught how to properly take their blood pressure and the importance of establishing a daily blood pressure log for review during appointments with their primary physician. Based on each patient's specific diagnosis, identifying contributing factors, and course of treatment prescribed by the primary physician, care plans can include:

Working with patients to make necessary dietary adjustments
Coordinate with physical therapist to establish an exercise program and/or weight control techniques
Teaching patients how to manage elevated blood pressure readings
Educating patients on the hazards of smoking and excessive drinking
Helping patients to establish a routine for taking medications, and facilitating referrals to medical social workers to assist patients having difficulty securing prescribed medications due to cost and other related factor

Helping our patients to quickly adopt lifestyle changes, providing them with the necessary tools at the onset of treatment to monitor their blood pressure, and teaching them how to identify the activities that positively and negatively affect their blood pressure has resulted in significantly lower hospital readmission rates for hypertension patients, which translates to lower overall costs and happier, healthier lives-that's the Premier Point difference.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic inflammatory lung disease that causes obstructed airflow from the lungs due to a loss of elasticity in the air sacs, inflamed or thickening of the airway walls, excessive mucus in the airways, or destruction of the airway walls, and is usually attributed to exposure to irritating gases or particulate matter such as cigarette smoke.

Due to the debilitating nature of COPD and the difficulties patients experience completing daily tasks, it can place a significant burden on patients and family members, and often results in higher readmission rates than other types of chronic diseases. Syptoms of COPD include:

Shortness of breath or a lack of energy
Wheezing
Chest tightness
Excess mucus in the lungs or a chronic cough that produces sputum
Frequent respiratory infections

The Premier Point Approach

Premier Point clinicians actively work with referring physicians to identify patients designated as “very high risk” for hospital readmission and develop an enhanced care plan with more stringent follow-up and communication procedures for the first 30 days post discharge. Our treatment plans are executed by trained clinicians with significant experience in managing all levels of COPD and include:

Disease education for the patient, family members, and caregivers including symptoms of asthma and emphysema, and identifying and implementing daily lifestyle modifications to avoid outbreaks or extreme exhaustion
Assessment and coordinating with primary physicians to secure referrals for pulmonary rehabilitation or oxygen therapy which typically includes special breathing techniques and other means of coping with COPD
Monitoring the patient for significant fluid retention that may indicate early diastolic heart failure development and assessing sputum color and amount for signs of developing pneumonia
Providing instructions on the proper usage of short-acting bronchodilators to help relieve sudden COPD symptoms
Capturing a detailed sleep pattern history to determine if the patient is experiencing lower oxygen saturation or obstructive sleep
Working with the patient to develop an appropriate exercise regimen with the desired outcome of increasing energy levels, improving circulation, reducing symptoms, and increasing endurance

We also help patients adhere to medical appointment schedules including securing transportation service, if required and coordinating with providers to deliver in-home lab and diagnostic testing if the patient’s mobility is restricted. Our goal is to help COPD patients manage the symptoms of the disease by providing a higher level of education, care, and support – all in the comfort and security of their own homes.