Caregiver Feature 
Advanced Practice Providers demonstrate that patients at Monument Health benefit from a team approach to care.
There’s an old cliche that states that the word “team” stands for “together, everyone achieves more.” This statement might be overused, but its message rings true in many aspects of life. At Monument Health, teamwork is at the foundation of patient care. This optimized model is perhaps most evident when considering the vital role of an Advanced Practice Provider, or APP, also called a mid-level practitioner, plays in collaborating with physician and patients.
“Of course patients all want to visit with the physician who opened up their chest to save their life. But in cardiology, it takes a team of people,” explained Roger DeRaad, NP, the very first APP hired at the Heart and Vascular Institute (HVI). “When a person first sees a middle-level practitioner, many people might think, ‘How is this person different from a doctor? Or how do you fit in?’ I think the best answer is that we are part of the bigger team.”
A Strong Background in Health Care
APPs and physicians play two distinct but very connected roles in care. Physicians are the experts in their fields at Monument Health. APPs are well-trained providers who direct changes in medication, changes in the plan of care, and order further testing to further the care a patient is receiving. There is a tremendous amount of communication and collaboration between the physician and the APP to ensure the patient is receiving the best possible treatment.
Matt Gross, CNP, elaborated on his role at HVI, “We have backgrounds in preventive medicine. We have backgrounds and training in knowing how to help patients navigate lifestyle choices that can help prevent a second or third event from happening.” Treating the entirety of a person and working to prevent future conditions is nearly impossible outside of the context of a team. That’s why caregivers like APPs are so crucial.
Patient Education
One of the most impactful ways APPs help to make a difference in the long-term health of patients is through education. Kim Hayden, PA-C, shared that patient education is key to her and other APPs’ roles; education is also a passion of hers. “The most satisfaction I find in my role is from educating patients and from making patient contact,” she said. “Helping patients understand potentially complex medical issues and translating that in a way that is digestible for them is one of the things that APPs really excel at.”
Heart and Vascular Institute Team
APPs really shine in a context like Monument Health’s Heart and Vascular Institute to the immense benefit of their patients. “Heart and Vascular is a very, very strong team,” Matt said. “Our group of nearly 30 APPs has been very stable; a lot of us have been here a long time and we’ve accrued a lot of knowledge together.”
When a patient is visited by an APP at Monument Health, they can feel assured in that strength and stability of the care team. These advanced providers are proud to take patient connection a step further and make a difference in their patients’ lives. “I have complete confidence in each and every APP on this team,” Kim shared. “We are a solid group – every caregiver here is top notch.”
Matt and Roger perhaps paid their team the ultimate compliment: “If I ever needed open heart surgery and I was out of the area, I would travel back here to get it done,” Matt said. Roger added, “As I approach 65, I’m becoming more interested in what health care in our community is like. And I can confidently say that I trust our caregivers, which is a great place to be.”