The program’s manager considers the ability to let nurses work to the full extent of their licensure and to spend quality time with patients to be a large part of the program’s success.  Starting with the first two-hour long patient visit, NPs have the luxury of significant “face-time” with their patients.  This enables the clinic staff to build strong relationships and trust with patients and their families.

Piedmont Hospital administrators had a strong commitment to improve care for heart failure patients.  Strong administration support helped get the new clinic and model up and running quickly and also allowed the model the flexibility to figure out what would work for the patient population.  The center was allowed to operate its first year without a strict budget to allow for experimentation and learning.

All the clinical protocols are evidence-based and physician approved.  This not only helped build trust with referring physicians, it also helped nurse practitioners confidently develop care plans for their patients.