Redefining End-of-Life Care: Hospice Savannah’s Approach to Improving the Patient Experience

The following content is a guest blog authored by CareXM, an NHPCO and Alliance Strategic Partner.

Hospice and palliative care continue to evolve as patient and family expectations shift toward more personalized care based on individual needs and preferences, such as personal values, cultural considerations, and quality-of-life goals. End-of-life care is already complex, and rising patient loads driven by staffing shortages make it even more challenging. To maintain the quality of care patients and families deserve, innovation is no longer optional – it’s essential. Dr. Kathleen Benton, CEO of Hospice Savannah, is redefining what it means to provide patient care by weaving innovation and empathy into every touchpoint.

By blending technologies like CareXM’s patient engagement platform with human compassion, Benton and her team have been able to enhance patient care, streamline communication, and re-engage underutilized staff to increase touchpoints with patients and families. In Benton’s words, “Innovation is not just about being cutting-edge; it’s about being flexible and patient-centric.”

Hospice Savannah: A Legacy of Compassion and Innovation

Hospice Savannah, a non-profit healthcare provider based in Savannah, Georgia, is committed to delivering holistic care to patients with serious and terminal illnesses. With an average daily census (ADC) of 260 hospice patients and 1,700 palliative care patients, Hospice Savannah continues to innovate to meet the growing demands of the communities they serve.

Benton’s leadership has steered Hospice Savannah towards embracing technology that enhances patient care without losing the human touch. A key part of this strategy includes their partnership with CareXM, the industry leader in telehealth, patient engagement, and nurse triage services. This partnership ensures patients and families have 24/7 support, setting a new standard for end-of-life support.

The Role of Technology in Enhancing Patient Care

In hospice and palliative care, every interaction matters. Benton emphasizes the importance of communication: “In hospice, the patient experience IS the outcome. One lost touchpoint can be the difference between life-saving care and a missed opportunity.” Patient engagement solutions like CareXM‘s nurse triage platform help ensure providers stay connected at every step of the patient journey, preventing missed moments that could impact care.

With CareXM’s integrated technology, Hospice Savannah has been able to:

1. Improve communication with patients and families, ensuring they feel connected to and in control of their care plan through access to their care teams and proactive surveys.
2. Boost patient and family satisfaction scores through proactive patient engagement.
3. Enhance continuity of care, particularly for high-need patients who require extra attention but may not always have an assigned care-managing nurse.

Hospice Savannah maintains a human-centered approach while incorporating tools that augment the care team, enhancing access, responsiveness, and care quality.

Four Ways CareXM’s Proactive Patient Engagement Transforms Care

1. Targeted Care for High-Need Patients
   CareXM’s platform is a game changer for patients requiring intensive support. Hospice Savannah began its CareXM implementation by focusing on high-need patients who lacked an assigned nurse due to staffing challenges. By providing consistent, real-time care management, CareXM ensures these patients receive the attention they need when they need it. Benton shares, “We were missing the continuity before, but now we’re not.”
2. Better Communication with Patients and Families
   CareXM’s patient engagement solution provides continuity of care through expanded touchpoints with patients and families, reducing anxiety and preventing communication gaps that can lead to frustration and dissatisfaction. “You are serving people on what may be the worst day of their life,” Benton says. “Over-communication is the best way to serve them.”
3. A Solution to Overcome Staffing Challenges
   Staffing shortages have plagued the healthcare industry, especially home-based care. CareXM offers a flexible, scalable solution that allows providers, including Hospice Savannah, to expand care capacity without overburdening staff. “CareXM is a tool that helps providers weather the storm of staffing shortages,” Benton says.
4. A Template for Other Departments
   The success of integrating CareXM’s technology in hospice care delivery has sparked interest from other departments at Hospice Savannah, including grief support and palliative care. Benton notes, “The data is so powerful that other departments have asked to implement it in their areas to reap the same benefits.”

A Philosophy of Care that Drives Results

Dr. Benton’s personal experiences, including caring for her brother who underwent over 100 surgeries, have deeply influenced her commitment to improving healthcare communication. She believes that technology should enhance, not replace, human interaction. This philosophy allowed her team to focus on what truly matters—the patient—while letting automation handle routine, non-urgent tasks.

The results have been remarkable:

• Within two months of implementation, patient and family communication satisfaction scores jumped from 75.2% to 93%.
• The ability to get timely help rating saw an even more dramatic improvement, rising from 60.7% to 92.1%.

These scores represent how integrating a technology partner like CareXM can enable real improvements in patient care and family support. Hospice Savannah began responding more quickly to patient needs, increasing meaningful touchpoints with patients, and streamlining internal processes for greater efficiency.

Looking Ahead: A Future Built on Innovation and Guided by Compassion

The future of hospice care lies in the integration of technology with human compassion. With CareXM, Hospice Savannah has developed a “proactive care model” that anticipates patient needs before they arise. Automated patient engagement, real-time triage, and strategic care coordination are helping to reduce nurse burnout, lower costs, and improve patient satisfaction.

But this is just the beginning. Benton’s vision for the future is to continue expanding the use of technologies like CareXM to personalize care even further, ensuring that every patient is treated with dignity, empathy, and respect.

A Call to Action: Embrace Change, Prioritize Service

Dr. Benton’s leadership philosophy is simple but powerful: “Serve.” This principle shapes her approach to navigating the complex landscape of end-of-life care. She challenges her peers to view technology as an ally in their mission to provide an exceptional care experience for patients and families. By adopting solutions like CareXM, providers can do more than just adapt to current challenges – they can position hospice and palliative care for future success.

As Benton notes, “Technology can be the key to unlocking better care—but it will always take compassion and dedication to truly serve our patients.”