Bassett Healthcare Network & Helios Care Collaborating to Provide Cost-Effective & Accessible Patient Care in Central New York

Cooperstown, NY – Bassett Healthcare Network and Helios Care are collaborating to provide cost-effective and integrated hospice and palliative care to patients in Central New York. The two organizations are working together to establish a more cohesive and seamless continuum of care services for patients from birth to end-of-life across Bassett’s eight-county region.

As a result of the collaborative agreement, the New York State Department of Health has given approval for Helios Care to expand their services to include Herkimer and Chenango Counties to better serve Bassett Healthcare Network. Currently, Helios Care serves Otsego, Delaware, and Schoharie Counties. By adding additional counties, Helios Care will cover the majority of Bassett Healthcare Network’s service area.

“Expanded collaboration between Bassett and Helios Care is a natural cooperative effort that will greatly benefit patients and their families in our rural communities,” says Staci Thompson, MHA, FACMPE, Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer at Bassett Healthcare Network. “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.”

Hospice and palliative care are patient-centered services that focus on promoting comfort and quality of life for patients with serious, long-term, or terminal illnesses. Care is provided by an interdisciplinary team of clinicians, including physicians, nurses, social workers, volunteers, and bereavement counselors. Through in-home care, education, and support, Helios Care’s team empowers patients, their families, and caregivers to make informed choices and be actively involved in care plans.

As part of their collaboration, Bassett and Helios Care are putting in place an electronically driven referral process that will foster more efficient services between the two organizations, including:

• Value-based contracting for hospice and palliative care services
• Collaborative efforts for a transitional care program, which will provide in-home care for patients with serious illnesses, chronic diseases, and end-of-life needs
• A comprehensive palliative care and hospice service to treat patients in the hospital, in outpatient settings, and at home

“Helios Care is thrilled to work with Bassett Healthcare Network on this innovative initiative,” says Dan Ayres, President and CEO of Helios Care. “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. We now serve close to 90 patients per day with 56 employees and 70 volunteers. 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.”

In 2022, Helios Care served more than 580 patients across Otsego, Delaware, Schoharie, and Greene Counties. Patients receiving services had diagnoses related to cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s or dementia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and neurological diseases, among others. Throughout 2023, nearly 90 patients have received palliative care and symptom management in cooperation with area healthcare providers. In addition, 555 clients have received bereavement services and support and 33 community bereavement sessions have been offered.

“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,” says Dr. Tommy Ibrahim, President and CEO of Bassett Healthcare Network. “Bassett and Helios Care have long worked together to serve the patients of Central New York, and now, working more closely to connect patients and families with a greater continuum of care services, we will continue to build a legacy of superior rural healthcare our family, friends, and neighbors can rely on.”

About Bassett Healthcare Network

Bassett Healthcare Network is an integrated health system that provides care and services to people living in a 5,600 square mile region in central New York. The organization includes five corporately affiliated hospitals, over two dozen community-based health centers, more than 20 school-based health centers, two skilled nursing facilities, and other health partners in related fields. To learn more about services available throughout the Bassett Healthcare Network, visit www.bassett.org. Follow Bassett on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Bassett Healthcare Network is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

About Helios Care

Helios Care has been providing care to the residents of Delaware, Otsego, and Schoharie Counties for nearly 40 years. As the main hospice and palliative care, their physicians, nurses, social workers, and home health aides are nationally certified in hospice and palliative care. Helios Care is a recognized leader in their field and has become one of the most widely used hospices in all of New York State.

What is now Helios Care has grown from a small group of community volunteers who were originally committed to providing compassionate care to 12 patients at A.O. Fox Hospital in Oneonta. In 1983, the Medicare Hospice Benefit was established, and the organization was officially incorporated as Catskill Area Hospice. In 1998, they added palliative care to their programs, expanding services to patients who do not fall into the strict definition of hospice care. With a goal of caring for more patients and reaching patients sooner, the organization introduced their new name and brand, Helios Care, in 2019. Their mission is to make life easier for seriously ill patients and their families by providing choices, dignity, and compassionate care. Learn more about Helios Care and their scope of services by visiting www.helioscare.org.