Kate Aberger, MD
VNA Health Group announced that Kate Aberger, MD of Hillsborough, has joined Visiting Physician Services (VPS), part of the Parker Advanced Care Institute, as the new Medical Director. Dr. Aberger has more than 20 years of health care experience and is board-certified in emergency medicine and hospice/palliative medicine.
Prior to joining VPS, Dr. Aberger was the Market Medical Director of New Jersey for Landmark/Optum where she managed clinical operations and a team of doctors and advanced practice nurses in a home-based primary, palliative care program. Before that, Dr. Aberger was the Medical Director for the Division of Palliative and Geriatric Medicine and an emergency department physician for 14 years at St. Joseph’s Health in Paterson. She earned her Doctor of Medicine degree from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in Newark.
Dr. Aberger is a physician leader and accomplished writer, having published many books, book chapters, research, abstracts and journal articles. In addition, she has lectured extensively at the local, regional and national levels on primary palliative care skills for frontline clinicians, trauma informed care, complex pain management, communication skills and various other topics. Dr. Aberger is an active member of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, the Center for Advancement of Palliative Care, the American College of Emergency Physicians and the NJ-ACEP, Liaison to Goals of Care Coalition of NJ.
“In her role as Medical Director, Dr. Aberger will lead our clinical team to continue to provide expert primary, geriatric and palliative care for our frail, elderly and high-needs patient population. Our goal is to allow our homebound patients to age comfortably at home with a focus on quality of life,” said Alex Binder, MBA, vice president, Parker Advanced Care Institute.
“I am thrilled to join this mission-driven organization delivering primary care to our most vulnerable homebound patients,” said Dr. Aberger. “ This is such an exciting time in medicine, when value based care is finally shifting the focus of health care back into the homes of patients and families. In this context, we find out what matters most and deliver care that makes sense for their unique journey.”
About Visiting Physician Services
Visiting Physician Services, headquartered in Neptune and part of Parker Advanced Care Institute at VNA Health Group, is the largest physician-based geriatric house call practice in New Jersey. Their clinical staff is comprised of nine physicians and 33 nurse practitioners and physician assistants, who work as a team serving 3,700 active patients throughout Bergen, Passaic, Union, Essex, Middlesex, eastern Somerset, Monmouth and Ocean counties. Their mission is to enable patients to stay at home as they age by providing quality in-home medical care. Visiting Physician accepts Medicare, Horizon, Braven, AmerigroupWellpoint, Aetna and WellCare.
For more information about Visiting Physician Services, call 732-571-1000 or visit vnahg.org/vps.
About Parker Health Group, Inc.
Parker Health Group Inc. is a not-for-profit, New Jersey-based aging services organization with 115 years of experience that is committed to empowering older Americans. It is a diverse community of over 1,000 dedicated and passionate employees, caregivers, volunteers, thought leaders, researchers, educators and partners. Its award-winning standards and approaches have made them a pioneer of inclusive aging services and long- term care residences, and a national thought leader on the conversation around aging in America. Founded in 1907, Parker has been challenging, changing, and expanding the idea of what it means to grow older in America, and how everyone can make aging part of life. For more information, visit parkerlife.org.
About Visiting Nurse Association Health Group
Founded more than 110 years ago with a mission to care for the community, Visiting Nurse Association Health Group (VNAHG) helps individuals and families achieve their best level of health and well-being by offering high-quality, compassionate home health, hospice, visiting physicians, palliative and community-based care, private-pay personal care services as well as primary care for medically underserved patients. Today, VNAHG is a leading nonprofit provider of home and community-based health services in New Jersey and mid-Central Ohio. VNAHG’s unique partnership model with health systems leverages clinical and technical resources to operate VNA of Central Jersey Home Care and Hospice, Robert Wood Johnson Visiting Nurses, VNA of Englewood, Barnabas Health Home Care and Hospice, Visiting Physician Services and Visiting Nurse Association of Ohio.
In addition, VNACJ Community Health Center is a federally qualified health center with four locations in Monmouth County, providing a full range of primary, prenatal, and preventative care for more than 10,000 low-income, medically underserved residents annually, as well as preventative, diagnostic, and restorative dental services at its Asbury Park and Keyport locations.