story and photo by Bobby Anderson, Staff Writer
Kristina Tell, RN, knows how important leaving a legacy can be, both in life and in business.
That’s why the executive director for Excell Home Health and Hospice believes her staff is making a difference every day.
“We provide life-changing services and for every one of our employees that is their goal,” Tell said. “We have always been an agency where we have scored well on our surveys that come back. That’s because we really take the time to take care of our patients. You can have the best marketing team in the world and they can go out and sell your product but if you’re not fulfilling that product it’s not going to continue.
“Our legacy is a legacy of excellence and that’s what we continue to strive for.”
Excell is able to offer a continuum of care with both home health and hospice services. If the time comes, patients can seamlessly transfer services without having to give up those important relationships.
“I think going to hospice is one of the scariest words for patients and so for them to be able to have that same nurse transition with them and still go through that time … we’ve seen a really amazing product from that,” Tell said.
Patients suffering from disease progression, frequent emergency room visits, multiple hospitalizations, and/or aggressive medical interventions may also be eligible for hospice care. Hospice care can be discontinued at any time and is a covered Medicare benefit.
Home Health and Hospice offer an affordable way to receive medical care at home. Many who access these benefits are over the age of 65 and are entitled to Medicare benefits which cover 100 percent of the cost of services and associated medication and supply costs. Medicaid and most commercial insurances also provide home health and hospice coverage.
Often, when patients elect home health or hospice, it is their primary physician who authorizes, coordinates and follows their care from start to finish.
Excell Home Care & Hospice works closely with the physician of your choice to provide care. If the patient does not have a primary care physician and needs to be seen by a doctor, the Home Health and Hospice agency has Medical Directors who can visit the patient.
Tell started her nursing legacy in the intensive care unit at OU Medical. Looking for a change, she found Excell in 2010 and accepted a position as a field case manager.
A clinical supervisor role quickly followed before she accepted the position as director of nursing.
A transition in ownership in 2017 placed her in the director of clinical services role leading both home health and hospice.
“I just love our agency. We’re very family oriented,” she said. “I think it really reflects that when our employees are happy so are our patients. We really care about each other and want the best for each other. I think it would be really difficult to leave my family because I see them all as my family.”
In a very mobile industry, Tell and Excell have enjoyed a loyalty from staff that is uncommon.
“I think that’s one of the things that really sets Excell apart, we have a lot of tenure,” Tell said. “Our director of rehab has been there since our doors opened in 1995. We have a lot of nurses that are 20-plus years, LPNs that are 15-plus years. We have a home health aide who has been here for 17 years. We have a lot of longevity and I think that speaks to who we are.”
Each Excell employee knows they are helping patients leave a legacy, and in turn, creating one of their very own.
“I really think it is because we show our employees that we do value them and care for them. That makes a huge difference,” Tell said of her staff longevity. “If they’re just an employee, just another number they’re going to go someplace else, chase that extra dollar. When you really put the time into your employees, getting to know them and their families we spend a lot of time together.”
For more information about Excell Home Health and Hospice, visit https://excellcares.com.
