November 15, 2024 • 30 mins
Bridges was founded by a nurse, who currently still owns and is an active part of the company. We are not a nationwide organization but local and homegrown. No one is a number in our system. The Bridges culture is one that understands every patient and family has unique preferences, values, and needs. It is important to us that we offer respectful and responsive care that not only meets but exceeds all expectations. https://www.bridgeshospice.org/
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Speaker 4 (01:35):
And welcome in. This is CEO's You Should Know podcast.
I'm your host, Johnny Hartwell, let's say hello to Kelly
Tamiwitz of Bridges Hospice.
Speaker 5 (01:42):
Thank you for being with me, Thank you for having me.
Speaker 4 (01:44):
Having lost loved ones, I truly believe hospice are really
angels in the flesh. So tell us everything we need
to know about your business.
Speaker 5 (01:52):
Bridges Hospice is so unique. We are independently owned, which
is very rare in the industry today, owned and run
by nurses, so the patient and the family always come first.
Speaker 4 (02:06):
Now I understand that it says Bridges like your tagline
is Bridges does hospice right?
Speaker 5 (02:11):
Hospice done right?
Speaker 4 (02:12):
To explain, to explain to us what that means.
Speaker 5 (02:15):
You know, I've been in the industry for thirty years.
I've worked not with a lot of hospices but a few,
and I worked corporate hospice prior to coming to Bridges.
It's such a difference to work for an independent hospice
owned and run by nurses. You can provide so much
more support to that patient and family. So all hospices
(02:38):
are held to the same regulatory standards, but what you
provide to your patients and families can differ between hospices.
So the level of care, the amount of visits that
our patients receive is often so much greater than some
of the other hospices in the area.
Speaker 4 (02:58):
Now, why is that you would think that hospice would
be hospice, you would have a standard of care, But
you say you're different. You exceed the expectations.
Speaker 5 (03:08):
We really do, and I think some of it has
to do because we're not corporate, so there's not a
lot of corporate overhead. We don't have regional directors, we
don't have nursing facilities associated with us. We are not
very financially driven. We are patient care driven, and our
patients and families see that difference every single day.
Speaker 4 (03:30):
So tell us, tell us about that difference. So give
us a perspective of somebody, a family and they're seeing
what you're able to provide. What do you do with
that family?
Speaker 5 (03:43):
So most hospices provide a nurse once maybe twice a week.
Our minimum is two to three times a week. Most
hospices provide an aid maybe two times a week, three
times a week. Our hospice provides an aid money day
through Friday to every patient that wants it. And for
(04:03):
our patients that need help on the weekends, that live
at home, that might have elderly caregivers, we'll even see
those patients on the weekend. We have something so unique
that we developed called our Bridge program.
Speaker 4 (04:17):
And what is that.
Speaker 5 (04:19):
So when a patient is in crisis, meaning they're having pain,
or there's a symptom that's unmanaged, or they're nearing passing,
we see that patient and family four times a day.
That's unheard of in the hospice industry.
Speaker 4 (04:33):
It is. That's remarkable. You know, I lost both my parents.
I lost my father in two thousand and three, my
mother in two thousand and eight. They both sorry, thank you,
and they both went through hospice. My father actually passed
away on his first day with hospice. But I think,
in my opinion, I like to think this that my
(04:55):
father saw that the nurse was taking care of my
mother more than him, and I think he needed that
that reassurance that she's going to be okay, she has
somebody to help with the process. I think he was
okay because he had battled up cancer for a long
(05:17):
long time. He had calling cancer for a long time,
and so he passed away. And then in two thousand
and eight, my mother had a variety She had Alzheimer's
and she had breast cancer. She had broken both hips,
broke a collarbone. She was she was a mess, and
so it was a it was a it was a
(05:37):
short hospice day, but it was it was it was
longer than his And both times I am so grateful
that we contacted somebody. And like I like I said,
I truly believe that what you provide your service is
truly angels in the flesh. They're here on earth and
and I'll be honest with you, I don't I don't
(05:58):
know how you can do that day after day after day.
Speaker 5 (06:02):
Well, you know, people say that all the time. It's
truly a calling, and you either love it or you
hate it. Like people can do hospice or they can't
do hospice. I've never had anybody that has worked for
us that said, oh, hospice is okay. They either genuinely
love it or they're like, I can't do this, it's
(06:22):
just too much. So it truly is a calling, but
it's so rewarding because, like you said, your dad needed
to see your mom was going to be okay, right,
So we're not just managing pain and symptoms, we're managing
all of the emotional stuff that comes with a person passing.
So and it's not just a nurse and an aid.
(06:43):
There's a social worker, there's a chaplain, there's a volunteer program.
Each patient and family have a team taking care of them.
And it's truly incredible the support. If I had a
dollar every time somebody said to me, I wish I
had you sooner, I wouldn't have to work. Right, people
are so afraid of hospice. Hospice has a stigma. You know,
(07:05):
a lot of patients experience hospice the way you experienced it,
which is very short.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
Right.
Speaker 5 (07:12):
Your loved one comes on and they pass within a day.
Or two. So it has this stigma. When a doctor
or a healthcare professional says I'm thinking that we should
probably go the hospice route, people automatically jump to my
loved one's going to die in twenty four hours, forty
eight hours. But that's really not the case. What hospice
(07:34):
means is that you have something that is not curable,
and if the physician had his best educated guess, he
feels like your loved one would pass in approximately six months.
We do our best work if we have that patient
for several months, because the relationships you can build, the
(07:57):
education you can provide, the wishes you can grant, all
of all of the extras we can do, we can
do when we have a patient on longer.
Speaker 4 (08:08):
Okay, you know I always say that you don't know
what it's like to be a parent until you have
a child, and you don't know what it's like to
have lost a parent until they're gone. And so it's
you're going into the great unknown. You don't know how
to you don't know how to feel. And with hospice,
(08:32):
you have somebody that is helping that patient and that family,
and that you know, you know, they're talking to doctors
and everything, and they're they're making sense of something that
is just surreal.
Speaker 1 (08:45):
Right.
Speaker 5 (08:46):
Well, if you think about it, no one's dying before
they die, so you don't know what's going to happen.
You don't know the process to that's leading up to
your passing. That's all that's very stressful for patients and families.
A lot of time they're just afraid of what the
process is going to be and how their loved ones
are going to be. Are they going to be supported?
(09:07):
Are they going to be prepared? That's part of what
we do where we make sure everyone is prepared for
what to expect. We make sure they're reassured that their
process to passing is going to be very comfortable, because
that's what we're here to do. Their families are going
to be supported, and we don't disappear after they pass.
(09:31):
We're still available and provide bereavement services to that family
for thirteen months.
Speaker 4 (09:38):
We're talking with Kelly Tamiwitz of Bridges Hospice. Tell us
your journey the Bridges. What did you do prior to
coming to the Bridges.
Speaker 5 (09:48):
So, all through college and after I graduated, I was
a transplantners in Pittsburgh presby wasn't new PMC then, And.
Speaker 4 (09:57):
Kelly, did you take on anything that is a a
little more simple?
Speaker 5 (10:03):
I loved it, I really loved it. It was it
was I learned so much I can imagine. And at
that time, we were the only ones that did transplants,
liver transplants, so I got to meet people from all
over the world. They came to Presby to get their transplant.
It was. It was an incredible experience taught me tons.
My best friend was diagnosed with cancer in high school
(10:26):
so and again in college and she passed right before
my wedding. Sorry, and it made me realize. And with
watching transplants and watching patients, some do very well but
others not do well. Between the patients and the transplant
unit and my best friend, I just knew I wanted
(10:47):
to be in hospice. I knew it's what I wanted
to do.
Speaker 4 (10:49):
So when did you start in hospice?
Speaker 5 (10:51):
So I started in hospice two years. Well, let's see,
my daughter is turning thirty in February and I started
right after she was born, So that's when I started
a hospice.
Speaker 4 (11:05):
And did you like it right away?
Speaker 5 (11:07):
I loved it. I absolutely loved it. I loved helping
families during the most difficult time of their lives. I
loved making patients comfortable. I loved comforting and educating and
supporting the families. And I've never looked back.
Speaker 4 (11:23):
Okay, comforting and education, but you need to be educated
on how to educate and how to comfort. So what
kind of training does Bridges provide the people that you hire.
Speaker 5 (11:35):
We have an extension, extensive orientation program. Yeah, so most
of it's two days in the office, which is just
kind of work, you know what I mean, Like all
of your orientation typical in services and teaching things like that,
But all of our field staff spend probably a minimum
of two to four weeks with a mentor on how
(12:00):
much experience they have. If I hire someone with ten
fifteen years hospice experience, it'll be two weeks, right because
they know it already. They need to learn how we
do it, but they know hospice. But if I have
someone that's brand new, that orientation process could be four
to six weeks.
Speaker 4 (12:17):
It's and you mentioned that it's a it's a calling.
Can you almost tell if somebody is going to make it?
Speaker 5 (12:23):
Yes, hospital always, always, I can almost tell on the interview.
If it's a fit, it can get.
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Speaker 4 (15:31):
There's a do you you have to like detect a
certain amount of empathy and sympathy or a caring nature?
Speaker 5 (15:39):
It's compassion. It's yes, empathy, sympathy, compassion. Typically people will
tell me a story when I ask, because I always
ask why why why do you want to do hospice?
Almost always they'll tell me a personal story. They've lost
a loved one, they've had hospice, and they realized what
(16:01):
a difference hospice the hospice team makes.
Speaker 4 (16:05):
So you lost a friend in high school and just
very very close to your wedding, and then you decided
to move to hospice. Did you did you understand what
was needed almost right away?
Speaker 5 (16:21):
You mean? No?
Speaker 2 (16:23):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (16:23):
You you. I was trained by a very good mentor.
Speaker 4 (16:26):
Well, I guess what I'm because it's never a good ending. No, Well,
but it's a it can be a comfortable ending, but
it's not. It's always a hard it's always a sad ending. Yeah,
it's a it's an ending. It's a very hard ending. Yes.
And so how long did it take to get used
to that?
Speaker 5 (16:46):
I don't know. I don't think I ever looked at
it like I needed to get used to it. I
guess in my eyes, we just provide so much comfort
at such a different called time that that is rewarding.
It's comforting to know that we are able to provide
(17:10):
comfort to a patient during the process and such great
support to their families and loved ones.
Speaker 4 (17:17):
You mentioned the Bridge's Hospice way. Yes, let's dig into
that a little deeper. Is what is the Bridges way?
Speaker 5 (17:27):
We go above and beyond for our patients and families.
It's just the culture. So the culture of Bridges is
very different. That's why I love it. We take this
is not rocket science. I never understand why people do
not get this. But if you take really good care
of your employees, then they're happy and that then trickles
(17:52):
over to ensure you have happy patients and families and
referral sources. So that's the first thing, is the culture.
We keep our employees very happy. They're well respected, they're
well taken care of, they want to come to work,
and we encourage our patient or our employees to go
(18:15):
above and beyond every day for our patients. It could
be something I hear stories of mister Smith loves Frosty's.
I take them a Frosty every Friday. Two. We have
a PPG program. It's called our Patient Personalized Goals Program.
It's incredible. We just took a horse to see a
(18:38):
patient last week because she wanted to pet a horse
one last time. I mean, we took a patient to
the Pittsburgh zoo and arranged for her to pet an
elephant because she wanted to pet an elephant. We take
have taken patients to baseball games. We have taken them
to the casino. We're always trying to go above and
(19:00):
beyond to make what time they have left memorable for
the patient and the family. We celebrate every patient's birthday.
Every patient, whether it's you know, if they like apple pie,
we bring them apple pie. If they like cupcakes, we
bring them cupcakes. And the team goes. So the nurse,
the aid, the social work of the chaplain, we go.
(19:20):
We think about it. It's going to be the patient's
last birthday, so we want to make it special. Just
a week ago, we had a patient who the patient
and their spouse celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary. So we
made that special that we had a cake and we
had food and you know, a little gift for them.
(19:42):
We're all about making the time they have here comfortable
and memorable.
Speaker 4 (19:48):
So tell me about your team.
Speaker 5 (19:51):
I love my team. I think I'm most proud of
the team we built. When I came to Bridges, we
had eighty patients and probably like forty five employees. We're
over three hundred patients now and one hundred and forty
five employees. And I have handpicked the majority of that
(20:17):
team with my management team, not alone. I'm so proud
of the team we wil't it's just made It's made up,
of course, of you know, office staff, you have to
run your office. Even our office staff, our management team,
they're incredible nurses, aids, social workers, chaplains, brievement coordinators, volunteer coordinators,
(20:41):
the volunteers themselves. It's just made up of people that
want to do the right thing, that genuinely care. It's
I've never in the thirty years I've done hospice, I
say all the time, this is the dream team. That's
I say it all the time to the staff, this
is my dream team.
Speaker 4 (21:02):
You know, a couple of years ago, during the you know,
COVID and the lockdowns and things like that, there was
a shortage of workers. Is that still the case? And
because like you said, to be an hospice professional, you
need that calling and that takes a that's that's a
rare individual to have the constitution to do what you
(21:24):
guys need to do. Do you still have a lot
of people still looking for what is your need at bridges.
Speaker 5 (21:33):
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Speaker 5 (24:37):
Get a lot of re employee referrals from our own employees.
They'll be in the field, they meet somebody they have
a friend, you know, they they'll say, Hey, I know
this nurse, she's really good. We should we should interview her.
Most of we actually knock on one. We don't have
(24:58):
a hard time filling our position. Yes, we don't have
a lot of turnover because we keep our patients or
our employees happy, so we don't have a lot of turnover.
We add positions as we grow, but most of those positions,
a lot of them come from our employees referring people
to us. We never during COVID you would think that
(25:21):
staffing was rough, rough for hospitals, for facilities, We didn't
go through that. We have a lot of people that
want to work for us because of our reputation in
the community of taking such good care of our employees.
We were voted the number one top workplace by our
employees three years in a row, and last year we
(25:43):
were number two. So that to me speaks volumes that
our employees are genuinely happy with the culture that we
provide and the culture in which they get to work.
Speaker 4 (26:02):
Now and you mentioned volunteers, I just want to me
and it's you know, forgive me. I'm a loss of
words because I don't know if I could, I could
be that person. And then to be a volunteer, it
takes to be a volunteer. It takes us very special
person to do that. Do you have any problem coming
(26:23):
up with volunteers or do you get a lot of
those as well?
Speaker 5 (26:26):
We get, we get. We have a good amount of volunteers.
We Our volunteer program is another incredible program. For instance,
this week we just did Veterans' Day programs in many
facilities where we have patients at honoring the veterans, big ceremony,
it was truly incredible.
Speaker 4 (26:47):
What do the volunteers do?
Speaker 5 (26:49):
All sorts of stuff. So we have pet volunteers where
they'll take their pets into the patients. We have volunteers
that just visit the patient, hold hand read to them,
play music to them. We have volunteers that work in
the office that help us with administrative work. We have
(27:12):
volunteers that actually they're called the threshold Singers. They're incredible.
They came to visit the office one day to sing
to us because they go around a patient's bedside when
they're nearing passing and they sing to them. There wasn't
a dry eye in the office. So we have volunteers.
(27:34):
That pretty much. We have volunteers that will cut patients
hair because they can't get out to get their hair cut. Yeah,
we have a wide variety of volunteers to support, but
they are volunteers. So I always say to patients and
families when I'm talking about it, that they're volunteering their time.
So I can't necessarily guarantee the volunteer can be here
(27:57):
every Thursday.
Speaker 4 (27:58):
From right, well, where do you find the volunteers? And
if somebody is interested in becoming a volunteer, what's the process.
Speaker 5 (28:04):
All you have to do is call the office or
get on the website and it's an easy process. There's
an orient there's an app of course, an application, a
background check, things like that, and then we bring you in.
We do an orientation process with each volunteer individually. We
don't hold classes. We'll do them. It's not like we're
getting ten people, you know, a week. So we'll meet
(28:26):
the volunteer wherever that we'll provide the orientation, we'll get
them ready to go. We make sure we make the
first visit with them so they feel comfortable.
Speaker 4 (28:35):
And we're talking with Kelly Tamilwitz of Bridges hospice. We
kind of started the conversation by saying that Bridges is
solely owned as opposed to a corporate. Yes, let's talk
a little bit more about the difference between the two.
Speaker 5 (28:52):
Okay, So the best way to describe it is when
you work for a corporation, because I have worked for
corporations in the past. They do care about the patient,
but it's very financially and budgetary driven. Often. So for example,
if I wanted to add a nurse, I would have
to call corporate. They would plug it into a formula
(29:16):
and they would tell me if I could have staffing.
They had a staffing template. Well, we have a nurse,
Krista Cox, who's amazing and owns our company, and all
I do is pick up the phone or walk in
her office and say I need a nurse and she
says okay. So we're always staffed ahead, like if we're
(29:39):
anticipating growth, we're staffing for it before it happens.
Speaker 4 (29:45):
So what kind of budget restrictions do you have?
Speaker 5 (29:49):
Okay, this is how it works in hospice. This is
why when I said earlier that not all hospices are
created equal, you kind of determine all much care you
want to give. We're paid one flat rate a day,
and people were like, oh wow, that's that's a lot, right. Well,
out of that per deem that you're paid, you have
(30:11):
to pay for your nurse, your aid, your social worker,
your chaplain, all medications related to the patient's hospice diagnoses,
all equipment and supplies, so diapers, bed pads, briefs, wipes,
hospital beds, walkers, wheelchairs, oxygen, everything, all your office staff,
and all your overhead. So when you take that into consideration,
(30:35):
you and if it costs us more to care for
that patient than what we're reimbursed, that patient's not built.
It's accepted in full. So you can understand why corporations,
if we give a lot of care, you're taking away
(30:56):
from that bottom line.
Speaker 4 (30:58):
Right. So let me ask you when it comes to hospice,
what is the what is the what is the most
asked question you get when it comes to hospice, because
you know, people don't understand what hospice is until they
need it. And then when they need it, what how
(31:20):
do they approach you?
Speaker 5 (31:22):
Well, typically we receive referrals from patients themselves. We'll call
in the office, we receive referrals from positions, facilities. Anyone
can make hospice referral anybody. However, we do need a physician,
the attending physition of the patient, the primary care, the oncologist,
somebody to say yes. In my best educated guess, I
(31:47):
think this person has about a six month prognosis, and
I do agree with hospice. What's the most frequently asked question.
I think it's more I don't know that it's a question.
I think it's helping make them, helping them make the decision.
I always encourage people to we do as a hospice,
(32:08):
we encourage this. We actually have a form on our
website interview us and interview two other people. There's a
form you can print out on our website. Print it out.
Our answers are already filled in. Interview me, now, ask
me anything you want, and then call two other hospices,
(32:30):
because that way you know you're making the right decision,
that the hospice you're selecting aligns with your values and needs.
And it's very rare they don't call back.
Speaker 4 (32:41):
Yeah, Now, what are some of the what are some
of the questions that you have on that questionnaire?
Speaker 5 (32:47):
So it would be like, how often does the nurse come?
How often does the aid come? Do you what do
you cover under hospice? What does your on call work like?
Because we have to be available twenty four hours a day,
seven days a week for emergencies for our patients once
they sign on to hospice. There's a there's it's about
(33:10):
fifteen questions long, but it's basically what you know. Our
Bridge program is on there. You know, what do you do?
How many visits a day do you get when your
loved one isn't crisis or nearing passing. That's important to
ask because a lot of a lot of agencies may
give you one visit a day, maybe two, but not four.
Speaker 4 (33:34):
You love what you do?
Speaker 5 (33:35):
Oh my god, I love what I do. I'm so
passionate about Hospice. I'm so passionate about Bridges. It's just
it's literally the best company I've ever worked for.
Speaker 4 (33:48):
What are you most proud of?
Speaker 5 (33:51):
Everything? What am I proud of? I'm proud of. I'm
proud of the care we provide and the team we built.
I know there's no do overs in death. People die
one time, right, you have to get it right. You
can't get it wrong. You have to get it right.
(34:14):
So I say to every one of my current staff
members and everyone i'm interviewing or orienting, we have one
chance to do this right. We have to, because if
we don't and a patient was uncomfortable and the family
wasn't supported, that's all they're going to remember. It's going
(34:35):
to haunt them for years. I want our patients and
families to say hospice was the best decision we made.
And I want the families after that patient passes to say,
it was an extremely difficult time of my life, but
hospice made it so much easier.
Speaker 4 (34:56):
And what's your slogan?
Speaker 5 (34:58):
Hospice done right?
Speaker 4 (35:00):
Up with that?
Speaker 9 (35:00):
Me?
Speaker 5 (35:02):
When I first started working at Bridges and Krista was
letting me just run with ideas and help build the team,
all I kept saying was, this is truly hospice done right.
It's hospice done right. It's what I've wanted to do
my whole career. It's hospice done right, and it's amazing.
Speaker 4 (35:21):
Do you have any goals for the future with Bridges?
Speaker 5 (35:25):
You know, we honestly I don't. Krista, myself, our management team,
we never really set We never set census goals a
lot of corporate hospices, you'll have a census goal and
they want growth throughout the year. We don't really set
census goals. We do a good job all the time,
(35:46):
so we get referrals. People want our hospice because they
hear about us. Like if someone is in a facility,
they see our staff wears yellow scrubs, like we're black
and gold. So our staff wears black pants, yellow shirt
and that's all you see constantly is the yellow shirts.
And patients and families sometimes see like they're staff that
(36:09):
comes from a different hospital. They may see them once
or twice a week, or they're every day, so they
want that care people in the community. It's getting out
there of the exceptional care we provide and is and
all of the the frequency of visits that our patients
can get. So what's my goal. It's always to provide
(36:29):
more care to patients that need it. But I have
no sensus goal in mind.
Speaker 4 (36:34):
All right, what is the one thing the one thing
you want someone listening now to know about Bridges Hospice.
Speaker 5 (36:44):
That it's truly hospice done right. The staff is so genuine,
so loving, so committed to making sure your journey is
the most comfortable and supported journey that you'll be on.
(37:05):
And also, I just want people to know they have
a choice. You have a choice in hospices. So many
times patients leave the hospital or patients leave a doctor's
office and they're just told this hospice is going to
contact you. I get calls every week, several times a
(37:25):
week from patients and families saying I want to switch
to you. I didn't know I had a choice. Everyone
has freedom of choice. So just do your research, interview
three hospices, make sure you're selecting someone who aligns with
your values.
Speaker 4 (37:45):
And needs truly angels in the flesh, and now hospice
done right.
Speaker 5 (37:51):
Kelly, thank you so much, Thank you so much.
Speaker 4 (37:53):
You can get more information at Bridgeshospice dot org. Kelly
Tamilwitz of Bridges Hospice, thank you so much.
Speaker 5 (38:00):
Thank you.
Speaker 4 (38:01):
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Speaker 4 (01:35):
And welcome in. This is CEO's You Should Know podcast.
I'm your host, Johnny Hartwell, let's say hello to Kelly
Tamiwitz of Bridges Hospice.
Speaker 5 (01:42):
Thank you for being with me, Thank you for having me.
Speaker 4 (01:44):
Having lost loved ones, I truly believe hospice are really
angels in the flesh. So tell us everything we need
to know about your business.
Speaker 5 (01:52):
Bridges Hospice is so unique. We are independently owned, which
is very rare in the industry today, owned and run
by nurses, so the patient and the family always come first.
Speaker 4 (02:06):
Now I understand that it says Bridges like your tagline
is Bridges does hospice right?
Speaker 5 (02:11):
Hospice done right?
Speaker 4 (02:12):
To explain, to explain to us what that means.
Speaker 5 (02:15):
You know, I've been in the industry for thirty years.
I've worked not with a lot of hospices but a few,
and I worked corporate hospice prior to coming to Bridges.
It's such a difference to work for an independent hospice
owned and run by nurses. You can provide so much
more support to that patient and family. So all hospices
(02:38):
are held to the same regulatory standards, but what you
provide to your patients and families can differ between hospices.
So the level of care, the amount of visits that
our patients receive is often so much greater than some
of the other hospices in the area.
Speaker 4 (02:58):
Now, why is that you would think that hospice would
be hospice, you would have a standard of care, But
you say you're different. You exceed the expectations.
Speaker 5 (03:08):
We really do, and I think some of it has
to do because we're not corporate, so there's not a
lot of corporate overhead. We don't have regional directors, we
don't have nursing facilities associated with us. We are not
very financially driven. We are patient care driven, and our
patients and families see that difference every single day.
Speaker 4 (03:30):
So tell us, tell us about that difference. So give
us a perspective of somebody, a family and they're seeing
what you're able to provide. What do you do with
that family?
Speaker 5 (03:43):
So most hospices provide a nurse once maybe twice a week.
Our minimum is two to three times a week. Most
hospices provide an aid maybe two times a week, three
times a week. Our hospice provides an aid money day
through Friday to every patient that wants it. And for
(04:03):
our patients that need help on the weekends, that live
at home, that might have elderly caregivers, we'll even see
those patients on the weekend. We have something so unique
that we developed called our Bridge program.
Speaker 4 (04:17):
And what is that.
Speaker 5 (04:19):
So when a patient is in crisis, meaning they're having pain,
or there's a symptom that's unmanaged, or they're nearing passing,
we see that patient and family four times a day.
That's unheard of in the hospice industry.
Speaker 4 (04:33):
It is. That's remarkable. You know, I lost both my parents.
I lost my father in two thousand and three, my
mother in two thousand and eight. They both sorry, thank you,
and they both went through hospice. My father actually passed
away on his first day with hospice. But I think,
in my opinion, I like to think this that my
(04:55):
father saw that the nurse was taking care of my
mother more than him, and I think he needed that
that reassurance that she's going to be okay, she has
somebody to help with the process. I think he was
okay because he had battled up cancer for a long
(05:17):
long time. He had calling cancer for a long time,
and so he passed away. And then in two thousand
and eight, my mother had a variety She had Alzheimer's
and she had breast cancer. She had broken both hips,
broke a collarbone. She was she was a mess, and
so it was a it was a it was a
(05:37):
short hospice day, but it was it was it was
longer than his And both times I am so grateful
that we contacted somebody. And like I like I said,
I truly believe that what you provide your service is
truly angels in the flesh. They're here on earth and
and I'll be honest with you, I don't I don't
(05:58):
know how you can do that day after day after day.
Speaker 5 (06:02):
Well, you know, people say that all the time. It's
truly a calling, and you either love it or you
hate it. Like people can do hospice or they can't
do hospice. I've never had anybody that has worked for
us that said, oh, hospice is okay. They either genuinely
love it or they're like, I can't do this, it's
(06:22):
just too much. So it truly is a calling, but
it's so rewarding because, like you said, your dad needed
to see your mom was going to be okay, right,
So we're not just managing pain and symptoms, we're managing
all of the emotional stuff that comes with a person passing.
So and it's not just a nurse and an aid.
(06:43):
There's a social worker, there's a chaplain, there's a volunteer program.
Each patient and family have a team taking care of them.
And it's truly incredible the support. If I had a
dollar every time somebody said to me, I wish I
had you sooner, I wouldn't have to work. Right, people
are so afraid of hospice. Hospice has a stigma. You know,
(07:05):
a lot of patients experience hospice the way you experienced it,
which is very short.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
Right.
Speaker 5 (07:12):
Your loved one comes on and they pass within a day.
Or two. So it has this stigma. When a doctor
or a healthcare professional says I'm thinking that we should
probably go the hospice route, people automatically jump to my
loved one's going to die in twenty four hours, forty
eight hours. But that's really not the case. What hospice
(07:34):
means is that you have something that is not curable,
and if the physician had his best educated guess, he
feels like your loved one would pass in approximately six months.
We do our best work if we have that patient
for several months, because the relationships you can build, the
(07:57):
education you can provide, the wishes you can grant, all
of all of the extras we can do, we can
do when we have a patient on longer.
Speaker 4 (08:08):
Okay, you know I always say that you don't know
what it's like to be a parent until you have
a child, and you don't know what it's like to
have lost a parent until they're gone. And so it's
you're going into the great unknown. You don't know how
to you don't know how to feel. And with hospice,
(08:32):
you have somebody that is helping that patient and that family,
and that you know, you know, they're talking to doctors
and everything, and they're they're making sense of something that
is just surreal.
Speaker 1 (08:45):
Right.
Speaker 5 (08:46):
Well, if you think about it, no one's dying before
they die, so you don't know what's going to happen.
You don't know the process to that's leading up to
your passing. That's all that's very stressful for patients and families.
A lot of time they're just afraid of what the
process is going to be and how their loved ones
are going to be. Are they going to be supported?
(09:07):
Are they going to be prepared? That's part of what
we do where we make sure everyone is prepared for
what to expect. We make sure they're reassured that their
process to passing is going to be very comfortable, because
that's what we're here to do. Their families are going
to be supported, and we don't disappear after they pass.
(09:31):
We're still available and provide bereavement services to that family
for thirteen months.
Speaker 4 (09:38):
We're talking with Kelly Tamiwitz of Bridges Hospice. Tell us
your journey the Bridges. What did you do prior to
coming to the Bridges.
Speaker 5 (09:48):
So, all through college and after I graduated, I was
a transplantners in Pittsburgh presby wasn't new PMC then, And.
Speaker 4 (09:57):
Kelly, did you take on anything that is a a
little more simple?
Speaker 5 (10:03):
I loved it, I really loved it. It was it
was I learned so much I can imagine. And at
that time, we were the only ones that did transplants,
liver transplants, so I got to meet people from all
over the world. They came to Presby to get their transplant.
It was. It was an incredible experience taught me tons.
My best friend was diagnosed with cancer in high school
(10:26):
so and again in college and she passed right before
my wedding. Sorry, and it made me realize. And with
watching transplants and watching patients, some do very well but
others not do well. Between the patients and the transplant
unit and my best friend, I just knew I wanted
(10:47):
to be in hospice. I knew it's what I wanted
to do.
Speaker 4 (10:49):
So when did you start in hospice?
Speaker 5 (10:51):
So I started in hospice two years. Well, let's see,
my daughter is turning thirty in February and I started
right after she was born, So that's when I started
a hospice.
Speaker 4 (11:05):
And did you like it right away?
Speaker 5 (11:07):
I loved it. I absolutely loved it. I loved helping
families during the most difficult time of their lives. I
loved making patients comfortable. I loved comforting and educating and
supporting the families. And I've never looked back.
Speaker 4 (11:23):
Okay, comforting and education, but you need to be educated
on how to educate and how to comfort. So what
kind of training does Bridges provide the people that you hire.
Speaker 5 (11:35):
We have an extension, extensive orientation program. Yeah, so most
of it's two days in the office, which is just
kind of work, you know what I mean, Like all
of your orientation typical in services and teaching things like that,
But all of our field staff spend probably a minimum
of two to four weeks with a mentor on how
(12:00):
much experience they have. If I hire someone with ten
fifteen years hospice experience, it'll be two weeks, right because
they know it already. They need to learn how we
do it, but they know hospice. But if I have
someone that's brand new, that orientation process could be four
to six weeks.
Speaker 4 (12:17):
It's and you mentioned that it's a it's a calling.
Can you almost tell if somebody is going to make it?
Speaker 5 (12:23):
Yes, hospital always, always, I can almost tell on the interview.
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Speaker 4 (15:31):
There's a do you you have to like detect a
certain amount of empathy and sympathy or a caring nature?
Speaker 5 (15:39):
It's compassion. It's yes, empathy, sympathy, compassion. Typically people will
tell me a story when I ask, because I always
ask why why why do you want to do hospice?
Almost always they'll tell me a personal story. They've lost
a loved one, they've had hospice, and they realized what
(16:01):
a difference hospice the hospice team makes.
Speaker 4 (16:05):
So you lost a friend in high school and just
very very close to your wedding, and then you decided
to move to hospice. Did you did you understand what
was needed almost right away?
Speaker 5 (16:21):
You mean? No?
Speaker 2 (16:23):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (16:23):
You you. I was trained by a very good mentor.
Speaker 4 (16:26):
Well, I guess what I'm because it's never a good ending. No, Well,
but it's a it can be a comfortable ending, but
it's not. It's always a hard it's always a sad ending. Yeah,
it's a it's an ending. It's a very hard ending. Yes.
And so how long did it take to get used
to that?
Speaker 5 (16:46):
I don't know. I don't think I ever looked at
it like I needed to get used to it. I
guess in my eyes, we just provide so much comfort
at such a different called time that that is rewarding.
It's comforting to know that we are able to provide
(17:10):
comfort to a patient during the process and such great
support to their families and loved ones.
Speaker 4 (17:17):
You mentioned the Bridge's Hospice way. Yes, let's dig into
that a little deeper. Is what is the Bridges way?
Speaker 5 (17:27):
We go above and beyond for our patients and families.
It's just the culture. So the culture of Bridges is
very different. That's why I love it. We take this
is not rocket science. I never understand why people do
not get this. But if you take really good care
of your employees, then they're happy and that then trickles
(17:52):
over to ensure you have happy patients and families and
referral sources. So that's the first thing, is the culture.
We keep our employees very happy. They're well respected, they're
well taken care of, they want to come to work,
and we encourage our patient or our employees to go
(18:15):
above and beyond every day for our patients. It could
be something I hear stories of mister Smith loves Frosty's.
I take them a Frosty every Friday. Two. We have
a PPG program. It's called our Patient Personalized Goals Program.
It's incredible. We just took a horse to see a
(18:38):
patient last week because she wanted to pet a horse
one last time. I mean, we took a patient to
the Pittsburgh zoo and arranged for her to pet an
elephant because she wanted to pet an elephant. We take
have taken patients to baseball games. We have taken them
to the casino. We're always trying to go above and
(19:00):
beyond to make what time they have left memorable for
the patient and the family. We celebrate every patient's birthday.
Every patient, whether it's you know, if they like apple pie,
we bring them apple pie. If they like cupcakes, we
bring them cupcakes. And the team goes. So the nurse,
the aid, the social work of the chaplain, we go.
(19:20):
We think about it. It's going to be the patient's
last birthday, so we want to make it special. Just
a week ago, we had a patient who the patient
and their spouse celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary. So we
made that special that we had a cake and we
had food and you know, a little gift for them.
(19:42):
We're all about making the time they have here comfortable
and memorable.
Speaker 4 (19:48):
So tell me about your team.
Speaker 5 (19:51):
I love my team. I think I'm most proud of
the team we built. When I came to Bridges, we
had eighty patients and probably like forty five employees. We're
over three hundred patients now and one hundred and forty
five employees. And I have handpicked the majority of that
(20:17):
team with my management team, not alone. I'm so proud
of the team we wil't it's just made It's made up,
of course, of you know, office staff, you have to
run your office. Even our office staff, our management team,
they're incredible nurses, aids, social workers, chaplains, brievement coordinators, volunteer coordinators,
(20:41):
the volunteers themselves. It's just made up of people that
want to do the right thing, that genuinely care. It's
I've never in the thirty years I've done hospice, I
say all the time, this is the dream team. That's
I say it all the time to the staff, this
is my dream team.
Speaker 4 (21:02):
You know, a couple of years ago, during the you know,
COVID and the lockdowns and things like that, there was
a shortage of workers. Is that still the case? And
because like you said, to be an hospice professional, you
need that calling and that takes a that's that's a
rare individual to have the constitution to do what you
(21:24):
guys need to do. Do you still have a lot
of people still looking for what is your need at bridges.
Speaker 5 (21:33):
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Speaker 5 (24:37):
Get a lot of re employee referrals from our own employees.
They'll be in the field, they meet somebody they have
a friend, you know, they they'll say, Hey, I know
this nurse, she's really good. We should we should interview her.
Most of we actually knock on one. We don't have
(24:58):
a hard time filling our position. Yes, we don't have
a lot of turnover because we keep our patients or
our employees happy, so we don't have a lot of turnover.
We add positions as we grow, but most of those positions,
a lot of them come from our employees referring people
to us. We never during COVID you would think that
(25:21):
staffing was rough, rough for hospitals, for facilities, We didn't
go through that. We have a lot of people that
want to work for us because of our reputation in
the community of taking such good care of our employees.
We were voted the number one top workplace by our
employees three years in a row, and last year we
(25:43):
were number two. So that to me speaks volumes that
our employees are genuinely happy with the culture that we
provide and the culture in which they get to work.
Speaker 4 (26:02):
Now and you mentioned volunteers, I just want to me
and it's you know, forgive me. I'm a loss of
words because I don't know if I could, I could
be that person. And then to be a volunteer, it
takes to be a volunteer. It takes us very special
person to do that. Do you have any problem coming
(26:23):
up with volunteers or do you get a lot of
those as well?
Speaker 5 (26:26):
We get, we get. We have a good amount of volunteers.
We Our volunteer program is another incredible program. For instance,
this week we just did Veterans' Day programs in many
facilities where we have patients at honoring the veterans, big ceremony,
it was truly incredible.
Speaker 4 (26:47):
What do the volunteers do?
Speaker 5 (26:49):
All sorts of stuff. So we have pet volunteers where
they'll take their pets into the patients. We have volunteers
that just visit the patient, hold hand read to them,
play music to them. We have volunteers that work in
the office that help us with administrative work. We have
(27:12):
volunteers that actually they're called the threshold Singers. They're incredible.
They came to visit the office one day to sing
to us because they go around a patient's bedside when
they're nearing passing and they sing to them. There wasn't
a dry eye in the office. So we have volunteers.
(27:34):
That pretty much. We have volunteers that will cut patients
hair because they can't get out to get their hair cut. Yeah,
we have a wide variety of volunteers to support, but
they are volunteers. So I always say to patients and
families when I'm talking about it, that they're volunteering their time.
So I can't necessarily guarantee the volunteer can be here
(27:57):
every Thursday.
Speaker 4 (27:58):
From right, well, where do you find the volunteers? And
if somebody is interested in becoming a volunteer, what's the process.
Speaker 5 (28:04):
All you have to do is call the office or
get on the website and it's an easy process. There's
an orient there's an app of course, an application, a
background check, things like that, and then we bring you in.
We do an orientation process with each volunteer individually. We
don't hold classes. We'll do them. It's not like we're
getting ten people, you know, a week. So we'll meet
(28:26):
the volunteer wherever that we'll provide the orientation, we'll get
them ready to go. We make sure we make the
first visit with them so they feel comfortable.
Speaker 4 (28:35):
And we're talking with Kelly Tamilwitz of Bridges hospice. We
kind of started the conversation by saying that Bridges is
solely owned as opposed to a corporate. Yes, let's talk
a little bit more about the difference between the two.
Speaker 5 (28:52):
Okay, So the best way to describe it is when
you work for a corporation, because I have worked for
corporations in the past. They do care about the patient,
but it's very financially and budgetary driven. Often. So for example,
if I wanted to add a nurse, I would have
to call corporate. They would plug it into a formula
(29:16):
and they would tell me if I could have staffing.
They had a staffing template. Well, we have a nurse,
Krista Cox, who's amazing and owns our company, and all
I do is pick up the phone or walk in
her office and say I need a nurse and she
says okay. So we're always staffed ahead, like if we're
(29:39):
anticipating growth, we're staffing for it before it happens.
Speaker 4 (29:45):
So what kind of budget restrictions do you have?
Speaker 5 (29:49):
Okay, this is how it works in hospice. This is
why when I said earlier that not all hospices are
created equal, you kind of determine all much care you
want to give. We're paid one flat rate a day,
and people were like, oh wow, that's that's a lot, right. Well,
out of that per deem that you're paid, you have
(30:11):
to pay for your nurse, your aid, your social worker,
your chaplain, all medications related to the patient's hospice diagnoses,
all equipment and supplies, so diapers, bed pads, briefs, wipes,
hospital beds, walkers, wheelchairs, oxygen, everything, all your office staff,
and all your overhead. So when you take that into consideration,
(30:35):
you and if it costs us more to care for
that patient than what we're reimbursed, that patient's not built.
It's accepted in full. So you can understand why corporations,
if we give a lot of care, you're taking away
(30:56):
from that bottom line.
Speaker 4 (30:58):
Right. So let me ask you when it comes to hospice,
what is the what is the what is the most
asked question you get when it comes to hospice, because
you know, people don't understand what hospice is until they
need it. And then when they need it, what how
(31:20):
do they approach you?
Speaker 5 (31:22):
Well, typically we receive referrals from patients themselves. We'll call
in the office, we receive referrals from positions, facilities. Anyone
can make hospice referral anybody. However, we do need a physician,
the attending physition of the patient, the primary care, the oncologist,
somebody to say yes. In my best educated guess, I
(31:47):
think this person has about a six month prognosis, and
I do agree with hospice. What's the most frequently asked question.
I think it's more I don't know that it's a question.
I think it's helping make them, helping them make the decision.
I always encourage people to we do as a hospice,
(32:08):
we encourage this. We actually have a form on our
website interview us and interview two other people. There's a
form you can print out on our website. Print it out.
Our answers are already filled in. Interview me, now, ask
me anything you want, and then call two other hospices,
(32:30):
because that way you know you're making the right decision,
that the hospice you're selecting aligns with your values and needs.
And it's very rare they don't call back.
Speaker 4 (32:41):
Yeah, Now, what are some of the what are some
of the questions that you have on that questionnaire?
Speaker 5 (32:47):
So it would be like, how often does the nurse come?
How often does the aid come? Do you what do
you cover under hospice? What does your on call work like?
Because we have to be available twenty four hours a day,
seven days a week for emergencies for our patients once
they sign on to hospice. There's a there's it's about
(33:10):
fifteen questions long, but it's basically what you know. Our
Bridge program is on there. You know, what do you do?
How many visits a day do you get when your
loved one isn't crisis or nearing passing. That's important to
ask because a lot of a lot of agencies may
give you one visit a day, maybe two, but not four.
Speaker 4 (33:34):
You love what you do?
Speaker 5 (33:35):
Oh my god, I love what I do. I'm so
passionate about Hospice. I'm so passionate about Bridges. It's just
it's literally the best company I've ever worked for.
Speaker 4 (33:48):
What are you most proud of?
Speaker 5 (33:51):
Everything? What am I proud of? I'm proud of. I'm
proud of the care we provide and the team we built.
I know there's no do overs in death. People die
one time, right, you have to get it right. You
can't get it wrong. You have to get it right.
(34:14):
So I say to every one of my current staff
members and everyone i'm interviewing or orienting, we have one
chance to do this right. We have to, because if
we don't and a patient was uncomfortable and the family
wasn't supported, that's all they're going to remember. It's going
(34:35):
to haunt them for years. I want our patients and
families to say hospice was the best decision we made.
And I want the families after that patient passes to say,
it was an extremely difficult time of my life, but
hospice made it so much easier.
Speaker 4 (34:56):
And what's your slogan?
Speaker 5 (34:58):
Hospice done right?
Speaker 4 (35:00):
Up with that?
Speaker 9 (35:00):
Me?
Speaker 5 (35:02):
When I first started working at Bridges and Krista was
letting me just run with ideas and help build the team,
all I kept saying was, this is truly hospice done right.
It's hospice done right. It's what I've wanted to do
my whole career. It's hospice done right, and it's amazing.
Speaker 4 (35:21):
Do you have any goals for the future with Bridges?
Speaker 5 (35:25):
You know, we honestly I don't. Krista, myself, our management team,
we never really set We never set census goals a
lot of corporate hospices, you'll have a census goal and
they want growth throughout the year. We don't really set
census goals. We do a good job all the time,
(35:46):
so we get referrals. People want our hospice because they
hear about us. Like if someone is in a facility,
they see our staff wears yellow scrubs, like we're black
and gold. So our staff wears black pants, yellow shirt
and that's all you see constantly is the yellow shirts.
And patients and families sometimes see like they're staff that
(36:09):
comes from a different hospital. They may see them once
or twice a week, or they're every day, so they
want that care people in the community. It's getting out
there of the exceptional care we provide and is and
all of the the frequency of visits that our patients
can get. So what's my goal. It's always to provide
(36:29):
more care to patients that need it. But I have
no sensus goal in mind.
Speaker 4 (36:34):
All right, what is the one thing the one thing
you want someone listening now to know about Bridges Hospice.
Speaker 5 (36:44):
That it's truly hospice done right. The staff is so genuine,
so loving, so committed to making sure your journey is
the most comfortable and supported journey that you'll be on.
(37:05):
And also, I just want people to know they have
a choice. You have a choice in hospices. So many
times patients leave the hospital or patients leave a doctor's
office and they're just told this hospice is going to
contact you. I get calls every week, several times a
(37:25):
week from patients and families saying I want to switch
to you. I didn't know I had a choice. Everyone
has freedom of choice. So just do your research, interview
three hospices, make sure you're selecting someone who aligns with
your values.
Speaker 4 (37:45):
And needs truly angels in the flesh, and now hospice
done right.
Speaker 5 (37:51):
Kelly, thank you so much, Thank you so much.
Speaker 4 (37:53):
You can get more information at Bridgeshospice dot org. Kelly
Tamilwitz of Bridges Hospice, thank you so much.
Speaker 5 (38:00):
Thank you.
Speaker 4 (38:01):
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