Alleo Health Announces New Support Program for End-Stage Pulmonary Patients

New “Clear Journey” program maximizes quality of life for both patients and families 

Alleo Health announces the launch of Clear Journey, a program designed to maximize the quality of life for end-stage chronic lung disease patients and their loved ones through daily assessments, an in-home comfort kit and additional clinical support.

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Clear Journey treats hospice and palliative care patients suffering from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), which encompasses a wide range of illnesses such as emphysema, chronic bronchitis and refractory (non-reversible) asthma. 

“Studies have shown pulmonary patients under hospice care live an average of three precious months longer than they would have otherwise,” says Dr. Greg Phelps, Chief Medical Officer of Alleo Health. “The Clear Journey program provides Alleo Health another way to remarkably elevate the quality of life of end-stage, chronic lung disease patients and their loved ones across southeast Tennessee, Alabama, northwest Georgia, and western North Carolina.”

Clear Journey offers education, support and treatment through a team approach to addressing a terminal pulmonary patient’s medical, psychosocial and spiritual needs, including those experienced by their families, caregivers, and loved ones.

Each patient receives a daily assessment by visit or phone and 24-hour access to a nurse or nurse practitioner, seven days a week for patients on hospice or palliative care. Patients will have all necessary pulmonary medications in home and a comfort kit to help them manage pain, anxiety, breathlessness and swelling.

“COPD can be a terminal condition, just like many other chronic and debilitating illnesses. 

Many family members and physicians agree the primary focus for end-stage COPD patients should be disease and symptom management in the comfort of their own homes,” said Tracy Wood, President and CEO of Alleo Health. “We want to be there so these patients and their families do not have to make their journeys alone.”

Eligibility for Clear Journey includes patients showing a number of critical conditions:

  • Especially disabling shortness of breath (dyspnea) while at rest or confinement to bed or chair even with proper medication.

  • Increased visits to the emergency room or hospitalizations for pulmonary infections and/or respiratory failure.

  • Low blood oxygen (hypoxemia) at rest in room air.

Other associated conditions include right heart failure (RHF) secondary to pulmonary disease, unintentional progressive weight loss greater than 10 percent of body weight over six months and resting heart rate of more than 100 beats per minute. 

Referrals are accepted by calling Hospice of Chattanooga at (423) 892-4289 or through visiting https://www.hospiceofchattanooga.org/make-a-referral. Also, referrals can be made for palliative care patients by calling (423) 553-1823 or visiting https://www.palliativecareservices.org/make-a-referral. North Carolina patients can be referred at (828) 516-1104 or https://goodshepherdhospice.squarespace.com/refer-a-patient. Patients in Putnam County, TN, can be referred by calling Upper Cumberland Referral Intake at (931) 651-2721 or visiting https://www.uppercumberlandhospice.org/refer-a-patient. Alabama patients can be referred to ABC Hospice by calling the toll free phone number (866-847-8660) or visiting https://www.abchospice.org/refer-a-patient. The Clear Journey goal is to admit all eligible patients within three hours of assessment.

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