Home health and hospice care don’t follow business hours. Questions often arise late in the evening, overnight, or on weekends. These are moments when patients and families need reassurance and guidance the most.
That reality led our CaringEdge team in Hermantown to pilot a new after-hours triage service designed to connect patients and families directly with a registered nurse for faster clinical support. The goal is simple: provide faster clinical support for patients while creating a more sustainable after-hours system for our care teams.
While the previous system worked, it was not always the fastest path to clinical support.
Instead of routing calls through a third-party answering service, patients and families now connect directly with a registered nurse through Legacy Medical’s triage nursing service.
Home health, hospice patients or their caregivers often reach out after hours when something changes or simply feels uncertain. In those moments, having immediate access to a registered nurse can provide clarity, reassurance, and guidance when it matters most.
Common reasons families may call include:
With a triage nurse answering these calls, patients and families can connect with a licensed RN right away.
“Triage nurses can evaluate what is happening in the moment and determine the best path forward,” said Megan Ruff-Buchmeier. “Sometimes that means reassurance and guidance by phone. Other times it means scheduling follow-up for the next day or activating an urgent visit if it is truly needed.”
This change is not only about improving the patient’s experience. It is also about supporting the clinicians who provide care every day.
By handling the first layer of after-hours calls, triage nurses help reduce unnecessary overnight disruptions for field clinicians while ensuring patients still receive timely guidance and support.
This allows care teams to:
It’s one more way CaringEdge is working to support the people who spend their days caring for others.
As Legacy Medical expands to our Hermantown location, our hope is to continue following our organization’s footprint so that staff and patients across all our communities can benefit from this model of care. We are excited to see how our teams can continue to grow and strengthen this partnership.
“Patients deserve access to real clinical guidance when they need it,” Ruff-Buchmeier said. “And our staff deserve systems that help them do their best work.”
With a registered nurse just a phone call away, both become possible.
To learn more about home health and hospice care through CaringEdge or explore career opportunities with our team, visit www.caringedge.com.
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Jennifer Estad joins Edgewood Healthcare as Chief Operating Officer of the Healthcare Division, bringing extensive leadership experience to support home health, hospice, therapy, and primary care services across seven states.
