ADULT CYSTIC FIBROSIS PROGRAM
July 25, 2008
Dr. Joseph Lasky, Pulmonary Diseases Section Chief, and Dr. Dean Ellithorpe, Adult CF Program Director, are pleased to announce that Jennifer Greenheck, the Nurse Practitioner with the Pulmonary Diseases Section, has joined forces with our Adult CF Team. Ms Greenheck initially will be responsible for supervision of those CF patients receiving out-patient IV antibiotics. With her assistance the Adult CF Program will institute a more intensive management program for those out-patients with pulmonary exacerbations. The Adult CF Team will closely follow all patients to “resolution of exacerbation”. This will include weekly follow-up NP clinic visits until IV therapy is completed and frequent phone calls. She will coordinate care with the home health agency and /or home infusion agency and monitor all out-patient laboratory studies performed during an episode of care.
We will explore other activities for the Nurse Practitioner with our Adult CF Team. These may include supervision of out-patients receiving oral antibiotic therapy for pulmonary exacerbations not requiring IV antibiotics and monitoring adherence with CF Foundation recommended guidelines. We would like to improve our patient compliance with follow-up visits to the Adult CF Clinic. The CF Foundation has identified frequency of CF clinic visits as being associated with improved nutritional and pulmonary outcomes. Patients with a minimum of CF clinic visits every 3 months have better outcome data in terms of their lung function and nutrition.
The Nurse Practitioner will work closely with Cheryle Donoghue, the Tulane Lung Center’s CF Nurse Coordinator and Dr. Dean Ellithorpe, the Adult CF Program Director. Ms Greenheck may be reached by pager: 544-3509 or email: jennifer.greenheck@hcahealthcare.com .
