A model cardiac care manager: Janice Tully

Massachusetts General Hospital

Janice Tully works quietly and unassumingly in her role as a Cardiac Case Manager at MGH. She would never tell you this story herself, but it exemplifies her very compassionate approach to her patients, her strong clinical competency, and her ability to quickly establish trust. To know Janice is to know that nothing is impossible when it comes to meeting the needs of her patients. One of her roles is to develop a comprehensive discharge plan that ensures the coordination and integration of services to maximize outcomes for patients and families.

In February Janice met a patient and his family in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit. The gentleman was dying of end-stage cardiac disease and he and his family longed to go home so he could die surrounded by those he loved most and in a comfortable environment. Because the patient was ventilator dependent, they thought leaving the hospital would not be possible. Janice was able to find a hospice care provider who would accept the patient and a physician willing to be present at home to discontinue the ventilator. Janice is one of the strongest advocates for patients that I know and, as a caring and compassionate nurse, she assured this family that she would be the driving force behind accomplishing their goal.

It goes without saying that Janice helped this patient and his family secure a peaceful death in the comfort of home, family, and friends.

-Nominated by Laura Huber