Susie Smart

Batesville nurse finds calling in home health

Susie Smart, a registered nurse and co-owner of Approve Home Health Services Inc. in Batesville, found her calling in home health care and turned her passion for helping others into a 20-year career with the agency.
Susie Smart, a registered nurse and co-owner of Approve Home Health Services Inc. in Batesville, found her calling in home health care and turned her passion for helping others into a 20-year career with the agency.

When a friend encouraged Susie Smart to apply for a nursing position at Approve Home Health Services Inc., she never imagined it would be the first step of a 20-year career or that she would become a co-owner in the company.

“I just fell in love with home health. I went to school to be a hands-on nurse and never dreamed I would be in management or be in an administration role. I miss seeing the patients on a regular basis, but I know I have a wonderful staff that is providing that hands-on care,” Smart said.

A native of the Cord-Charlotte area, Smart earned her licensed practical nursing certification at Gateway Technical College, now the University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville. She went on to complete her registered-nursing degree at North Arkansas Community College and is pursuing a Master of Nursing Science degree at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock.

Smart worked at White River Medical Center and at a Batesville physician’s office before joining the team at Approve Home Health. Steve Bryant, co-owner of Approve Home Health and a pharmacist at Bryant’s Pharmacy, said it was Smart’s attitude and enthusiasm that made her stand out from other applicants.

“She had a wonderful attitude, and it was obvious that she loved nursing and was very enthusiastic about what she did,” Bryant said.

Bryant said Smart was instrumental in the development of Outcome and Assessment Information Set, a data set developed by Medicare for use in home-health agencies to perform patient evaluations. Approve Home Health was one of seven or eight agencies asked to be involved in the project, Bryant said.

“It took a lot of time, effort and research, and Susie took this project on in addition to her other duties. The data set was implemented in 2000 and is still being used today,” Bryant said. “Her drive and work on the OASIS project prepared her to move up and assume more responsibility within our company.”

As administrator of Approve Home Health, Smart oversees the day-to-day operations of the agency, manages a staff of about 70 employees and ensures that the agency is compliant with all state and federal regulations. The agency has offices in Batesville and Walnut Ridge and serves a 50-mile radius around Batesville. Approve Home Health provides skilled nursing, private-duty nursing, home-health aides and in-home therapy, such as physical, occupational and speech therapy.

Approve Home Health’s mission states that it is the agency’s goal “to provide quality health care to our patients and families while maintaining that the patient is a person worthy of respect, understanding and compassion. Our goal is to allow patients to remain in their homes and maintain their quality of life.”

Smart and Bryant agreed that their staff embodies the goals of the agency’s mission.

“I truly enjoy working with our staff,” Bryant said. “It’s a pleasure and an honor to work with people so focused on helping others achieve a better quality of life. That’s what makes it all worth doing.”

According to a report from the Alliance for Home Health Quality and Innovation, 58 percent of the general population of those 50 and older prefer to receive needed health services at home. After receiving home health care, 67 percent of

patients experienced less pain when moving, 64 percent had improved breathing, and 89 percent of wounds improved or healed after an operation. The report also states that of post-acute-care Medicare expenditures, home health care is typically the least costly.

To honor the millions of caregivers who work for home health and hospice agencies, the National Association for Home Care and Hospice celebrates November as Home Care and Hospice Month. When Smart and Bryant saw a need for hospice care in the area, they met that need by forming Caring Hands Hospice, a sister company to Approve Home Health.

“We were often having to discharge our patients, some that had been with us for years, because they were referred to hospice care,” Smart said. “It was very hard for both the patient and our staff because of the bonds that are built through home health care. They become your family,” Smart said.

Smart said she seeks every available opportunity to educate the public and local physicians about the importance of early referral to hospice care so that the care needed by both the patient and family can be provided.

Caring Hands Hospice was licensed in 2004 and provides hospice services to Independence, Lawrence, Randolph and Sharp counties.

Upcoming Events