Support Systers, LLC -- News

Marketwire
July 9, 2003

Support Systers Addresses LLC Offers Solutions to Productivity Crisis for New Jersey Businesses

ANNANDALE, NJ – With today’s economic challenges creating a highly competitive marketplace, businesses and individuals cannot afford to sacrifice an ounce of productivity if they expect to grow that business or further a career. Unfortunately, productivity has been under attack, by an ever-increasing number of hours, days and even weeks that key employees must take off from work in order to provide care for an aging or sick family member.

According to a study published in The Washington Post, Corporate America is losing an estimated $29 billion annually in productivity due to the 14.4 million workers providing care for an elder. The Wall Street Journal reports that 42% of employees expect to assume elder care responsibilities in the next several years. 16% of full-time employees eventually must leave their jobs due to elder care-giving responsibilities.

Along with the emotional stress and lack of focus that are inevitable bi-products of managing the health care of a loved-one, this phenomenon is greatly inhibiting career development potential for women. According to a recent AARP study, 73% of caregivers are female, and 64% of these women are employed. Until recently, there have been insufficient resources to protect companies from such a drain or to protect employees from having to make such significant career and financial sacrifices.

Annandale, NJ based Support Systers, LLC has addressed this critical problem for New Jersey’s business community by introducing a series of services designed to help employees and their families who are faced with managing the ongoing health care needs of a loved-one. Support Systers’ highly trained and experienced Registered Nurses act much like surrogate family members, accompanying patients on their medical appointments. They help these patients make sense of the onslaught of information presented to them by health care providers and ask questions on their behalf. Additionally, these “Nurse Advocates” maintain the patient’s medical records, manage their insurance coverage and payment, arrange or provide transportation and facilitate a continuity of communication between the patient, the patient’s family and the health care providers involved.

The involvement of a Support Systers Nurse Advocate enables people to focus on the other areas in their lives, such as their jobs, relationships or immediate family, which might otherwise be neglected, and they can do this with full knowledge and confidence that their family member is receiving the best health care possible.

Recent studies by Pfizer and others indicate that a lack of comprehension of prescription medications and non-compliance with physician’s instructions lead to many unnecessary hospitalizations and complications. The involvement of a Nurse Advocate in patient-physician and the patient-caregiver interactions mitigates these risks, enabling better patient outcomes and lower costs of care. Caregivers can now have peace of mind in knowing that their loved-one is not going to become a statistical casualty of a strained health care system.

Support Systers Nurse Advocates do not give medical advice. Rather, they organize and synthesize all of the information provided by physicians and health care providers in a way that enables the patient’s full understanding and ability to comply with physicians’ advice and instructions. In this way, they also enhance the effectiveness of physicians and health care workers. In Pottersville, NJ, a current Support Systers client, Bill Verner comments, “You can’t imagine the different experience I had with a nurse from Support Systers there with me at my appointments versus my experience on my own. With Kathy [Kathleen Kane, BSN, a Support Systers Nurse Advocate], there was a totally different level of communication. Doctors explained options and the reasons behind them, and she was able to probe and ask follow-up questions that would never have occurred to me. The doctor even commented on how helpful it was to have her there.”

Traditionally, this type of advocacy is not available even for people who do have family members who can join them on medical appointments. Most caregivers, regardless of their level of dedication and concern, cannot easily duplicate the knowledge and comfort level of an experienced RN.

The benefits to individuals and the companies for which they work are enormous but trumped only by the benefits to the patients themselves as they enjoy speedier and more complete recoveries without feeling like a burden to their families.

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