Program supported by Central DuPage Hospital and private donors

WINFIELD, Ill., October 27, 2009 – In November, Dr. Tom Cornwell, founding physician and medical director of HomeCare Physicians (HCP) eagerly anticipates making his 25,000 home visit, treating elderly and disabled patients who cannot get to a physician’s office on their own without great difficulty since 1997. With the support of Central DuPage Hospital (CDH) and generous private gifts, Cornwell and his non-profit home care practice, HomeCare Physicians, have made a difference in literally thousands of lives in the 300 square miles around CDH in the western suburbs of Chicago.

Cornwell and his partners Dr. Paul Chiang and advanced practice nurse, Ancy Zacharia, travel throughout DuPage County to treat homebound patients and saving them costly and potentially unnecessary ambulance trips, emergency department visits, hospitalizations and premature nursing home placement. Take for instance, the real story of 56-year-old Suzanne-Marie*. Before receiving regular home visits, Suzanne-Marie had been to the emergency room 79 times and had 18 hospital visits between 2005 and 2008. Since her first visit with HCP in December of 2008, Suzanne-Marie has only returned to the emergency room twice and was able to reduce her medication by four prescriptions.

“Suzanne-Marie’s case is extraordinary. She is now getting the primary care she needs to keep her where she wants to be — at home. Two of her prescriptions were more than $200 per month and she was able to drop four,” said Cornwell. “The savings for her and her insurance provider are incredible, all because she is now getting regular care at home.”

Home care isn’t for everyone. The average age of a HCP patient is eighty, but there are some younger. Most of them have neuromuscular conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis, Muscular Dystrophy, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease) or spinal injuries. Eligible patients find leaving home physically difficult.

In September, the Central DuPage Hospital Auxiliary Executive Board voted unanimously to match all private gifts donated to HomeCare Physicians through the end of 2009, up to $50,000. If successful, this will bring the Auxiliary endowment for HomeCare Physicians to $500,000.

HomeCare Physicians is a member of Central DuPage Physician Group, a physician organization affiliated with Central DuPage Hospital. HCP have received both local and national recognition for innovation and commitment to the homebound and elderly patient populations of the greater Chicago area.

For more information about HomeCare Physicians, visit www.homecarephysicians.org or call 630-933-4CDH (4234)/ TTY 630-933-4833 for the hearing impaired.

About HomeCare Physicians (HCP)

The mission of HCP is to provide quality primary care to the homebound to improve their quality of life and the lives of their caregivers. This care reduces healthcare costs by preventing unnecessary ambulance trips, emergency department visits, hospitalizations and nursing home placements. HomeCare Physicians’ territory includes communities serviced by Central DuPage Hospital. HCP has made more than 65,000 house calls to more than 5,000 homebound patients.

About Central DuPage Hospital

Central DuPage Hospital (CDH) is a nationally recognized 313-bed facility located in Winfield, Ill., a suburb west of Chicago. CDH is a leading center for medical technology and one of the busiest surgical centers in Illinois.

For the last three consecutive years, Thomson Reuters has listed CDH as a 100 Top Hospital in the U.S. Similarly, U.S. News & World Report has included CDH on their list of Best Hospitals in the orthopaedics category each year since 2007.

The hospital is part of an interdependent network of health-care organizations and services, including convenient care centers, occupational health services and a full range of options for senior living, home health and hospice care. For more information or to find a doctor on the medical staff of CDH, visit www.cdh.org or call 630-933-4CDH (4234)/ TTY 630-933-4833 for the hearing impaired.

Media Contact:
Amy Jo Steinbruecker
630-933-5117