Care Coordination Team

DVACO’s Care Coordination Team works with patients in collaboration with other health care providers to reduce fragmentation of patients’ care.

  • primary care providers
  • specialists
  • hospital-based care managers
  • practice-based care coordinators
  • health care agencies

Our experienced team includes registered nurse care coordinators who focus primarily on patients of our independent physician practices—those practices not employed by Main Line Health or Jefferson Health—as well as a social worker who supports all the practices within the DVACO. Our care coordinators utilize sophisticated technology platforms to identify patients who are most likely to benefit from care coordination. They also work with patients who are referred for assistance by the primary care physicians.

The goal of all care coordinators is to serve as an extension of the primary care providers’ staff. They provide outreach to at-risk or medically complex patients, helping to connect the various providers involved in a patient’s care, so treatment is seamless, communication is improved, best practices are followed for optimal outcomes, and redundant tests and procedures can be avoided.

Care coordinators also help monitor the patient’s transition of care from hospital to nursing home or home health, as well as to and from the patient’s own home setting. This includes an evaluation of medications and discharge instructions, scheduling of follow-up appointments, and assessing patient barriers to recovery. Our care coordinators then develop a care plan with the patient and primary care provider to help track and identified problems, goals and interventions.

Meet the Team

Nikole Becker Assarsson, MSW, Care Coordinator
Nikole Becker Assarsson, MSW, Care Coordinator
Nikole Becker Assarsson has been working in the Social Work field for over 26 years. She graduated from West Chester University with a major in Psychology and a minor in Philosophy. She obtained her master’s in clinical social work from Widener University. Her passion is to help people in need. She takes great pride in being able to say she has made a difference in people’s lives. In January 2001, she came to Main Line Health and worked at Lankenau Hospital for 13 years before transferring to Paoli Hospital for 2 years. She has a background working on various service lines including Orthopedics, Trauma, Neuro Surgery, ER, Hospitalist service, and General Medicine. She has been with DVACO now for over 5 years. Nikole is proud to be part of the DVACO and looks forward to working not only with the team but also the patients.
Mary Lynn Cantando, BSN, RN, Care Coordinator
Mary Lynn Cantando, BSN, RN, Care Coordinator
Mary Lynn has been a nurse for 33 years and most of her career has been in Home Care and Case Management. She joined the DVACO in 2015 as a Nurse Care Coordinator, providing support to patients and physicians to improve health outcomes. She strives to empower patients to take control of their physical and mental health by providing education, tools, and resources along with a personalized plan of care to keep them healthier at home. One of the most important things to Mary Lynn is establishing rapport and building trust with her patients so they can move forward together. She graduated from Neumann College with her BSN and a Minor in Art.
Mary Lynn Cantando, BSN, RN, Care Coordinator
Rita Doud, BSN, RN, Care Coordinator
Rita Doud has been a nurse care coordinator working with the Main Line Health employee health plan participants since 2017. She began her career at MLH while attending nursing school at DCCC, starting as a nurse extern at Bryn Mawr Hospital in 1991. She has moved around quite a bit within the walls of MLH since then doing 2 years as a staff nurse at Bryn Mawr Hospital, 14 years with Main Line Home Health Care in various roles while earning a BSN in 2002 from Immaculata. She then went back to her home hospital of Bryn Mawr for 7 years as a nurse case manager, and after working at the MLH transfer center for a short time finally landed at the DVACO in 2015. She really enjoys working with MLH employees and their family members. As a long-term employee, Rita has a great appreciation and gratitude to be able to provide support and guidance to what feels like an extended family.
Angela Higgins, BS Care Coordination, Clinical Analyst
Angela Pellechia, MBA, Operations Specialist
Angela has been working at the DVACO as the clinical analyst for the care coordination department since January of 2019. Prior to working at the DVACO, Angela comes from working at a non-profit community behavioral health agency, where she was responsible for the program coordination of outpatient services, as well as team leader and administrative coordinator of the case management department. Angela also comes with a background in coordinating home-care services and providing nursing assistance at Abington Surgical Center. Angela is currently pursuing her MBA degree with a concentration in Health Administration from Eastern University, with the anticipation of graduating in 2021. Angela graduated from West Chester University with a Bachelor of Science in Public Health and Nutrition in 2016. In her free time, Angela enjoys going to the gym and staying active, as well as spending time with her husband, dog, family and friends.
Claudette Quaile, RN, CCM, CPHM, Care Coordinator
Claudette Quaile, RN, CCM, CPHM, Care Coordinator
Claudette is a registered RN for over 30 years. She is certified in Case Management as well as Health Management. Her clinical background includes critical care/trauma with emphasis in Cardiology as well as home care nursing. She has done bedside work in tertiary/quaternary care hospitals in the city of Philadelphia. She has also worked in the commercial corporate sector with the health insurance companies as a utilization review nurse as well as case management. She grew up and currently reside in Delaware County with her amazing husband. She has 3 wonderful grown children and a beautiful granddaughter. Her family is the driving force behind everything she does and the paths she chooses to take.
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