NY Healthcare Orgs Collab to Deliver Value-Based Hospice, Palliative Care

Bassett Healthcare Network, a New York-based health system, has partnered with Helios Care to provide patients with value-based hospice and palliative care.

Patients in five counties across Central New York will benefit from the collaboration, which aims to establish a more cohesive continuum of care from birth to end of life.

Helios Care currently serves three counties in Bassett Healthcare Network’s eight-county service area: Otsego, Delaware, and Schoharie Counties. Following the new partnership, the New York State Department of Health has approved Helios Care to expand to two additional counties, Herkimer and Chenango Counties.

“Expanded collaboration between Bassett and Helios Care is a natural cooperative effort that will greatly benefit patients and their families in our rural communities,” Staci Thompson, MHA, FACMPE, executive -vice president and chief operating officer at Bassett Healthcare Network, said in the press release.

“We work closely with Helios Care every day. Our shared approaches to serving patients embrace advocating for care with the highest quality of life possible, including in-home services for patients with chronic illnesses and home-based end-of-life care.”

Together, the two organizations will create an electronically driven referral process that will promote value-based contracting for hospice and palliative care services and establish a comprehensive palliative care and hospice service to treat patients in the hospital, in outpatient settings, and at home. In addition, the partnership will prioritize developing a transitional care program to provide in-home care for patients with serious illnesses, chronic diseases, and end-of-life needs.

Hospice and palliative care focus on improving the quality of life for patients with long-term or terminal illnesses. This kind of care is typically provided by an interdisciplinary team consisting of physicians, nurses, social workers, and bereavement counselors.

Helios Care provides hospice and palliative care across Central New York. In 2022, the organization served more than 580 patients across Otsego, Delaware, Schoharie, and Greene Counties. Last year, around 90 patients received palliative care and symptom management, while 555 clients received bereavement services and support.

“Helios Care continues to expand our mission, serving patients earlier in their care journeys and fusing palliative care into more holistic approaches to patient care across the lifetime,” Dan Ayres, president and CEO of Helios Care, said. “Our deeper collaboration with Bassett will offer patients these critical services with more continuous and extended clinical coordination from their care teams in different care settings.”

Bassett Healthcare Network operates five corporately affiliated hospitals, more than 24 community-based health centers, over 20 school-based health centers, and two skilled nursing facilities.

“As Bassett and our community health partners navigate the rapidly changing landscape of healthcare, it is in our best interest – and in the best interest of our patients and communities – to embrace innovative ideas, strategic collaborations, and other advancements to better deliver high-quality, convenient, and affordable healthcare,” Tommy Ibrahim, MD, former president and CEO of Bassett Healthcare Network, shared.