The following article is from the Advanced Heart Failure referring provider newsletter.
When providers refer patients to the UW Health Heart Transplant Program, Elise Strycharske, NP, is a valuable resource. While Elise primarily works with post-transplant patients, she also is involved at the beginning of the transplant process. She and her colleagues are involved in pre-transplant evaluations at the Advanced Heart Failure Clinic, and they follow patients throughout their treatment.
“We are one of the first faces the patients see here, in addition to the pre-transplant coordinators,” Elise said.
Referral to the UW Health Heart Transplant Program
Referring providers often ask Elise to outline clinical scenarios for a heart transplant referral. Although each patient is unique, there are several key qualifying factors to watch for:
Progressive heart failure despite guideline-directed medical therapy
Recurrent heart failure hospitalizations or escalating care needs
Declining functional status or quality of life
If a patient fulfills one or more of the above criteria, it may be time to connect them with the UW Health Transplant Program. Providers can do so by completing a referral form to cardiology and indicating the need for an advanced heart failure or left ventricular assist device (LVAD)/transplant evaluation.
“Often, our new patients are seen by our physicians at one of our regional heart failure clinics,” Elise said. “Our advanced heart failure doctors determine if patients are candidates for an LVAD or transplant. These patients are often scheduled for an office visit in the catheterization lab.
A nurse practitioner’s role
Once patients begin evaluation at the heart failure clinic in Madison, Elise is one of their key providers.
According to Veli Topkara, MD, medical director of the Heart Failure, Cardiac Transplantation and Mechanical Circulatory Support Program at UW Health, Elise is a cornerstone of the Heart Transplant Program.
“She functions as a highly skilled and autonomous nurse practitioner who provides comprehensive care to our heart transplant patients across both the inpatient and outpatient settings,” he said.
Elise manages complex post-transplant medical issues, coordinates multidisciplinary care, ensures continuity during transitions from hospital to clinic and serves as a consistent clinical anchor for patients and families throughout the transplant journey.
“Clinically, her depth of knowledge in heart transplantation and her attention to detail directly improve patient outcomes and safety,” Topkara said. “Equally important, she brings compassion, advocacy and accountability to every interaction. Elise consistently goes above and beyond—she anticipates patient needs, follows through relentlessly and takes personal ownership of outcomes.”
The rewards of transplant medicine
Elise, who has worked at UW Health since 2011, joined the Advanced Heart Failure Clinic in 2017 and was the health system’s first heart transplant nurse practitioner.
“I’ve taken care of heart failure patients for a long time and seen the incredible gifts that transplants can give them,” she said. “To see patients return to something meaningful is incredibly rewarding. I thoroughly enjoy being able to navigate that entire process with referring providers and their patients.”
Elise says she is diligent about keeping the lines of communication open with referring providers.
“I always circle back with patients’ providers when they’re transplanted,” she said. “I personally make sure each referring provider receives a copy of the patient’s discharge summary.”