Yesterday more than 40 Alliance members participated in a workshop on making the business care for home care to be at the enter of efforts to introduce better management of chronic illness to the US health care system. Beth Hennessey of Baptist Home Care provided the agency template for matching the core competencies of home care to the policy and programmatic changes that are envisioned in federal health care insurance and delivery system reform.
One take away message is that Massachusetts may see opportunities in this area even quicker than the rest of the country as this state is moving into Phase II of reform (system realignment) while most other states are still on Phase I (universal coverage). An immediate challenge to home care to deliver services in a new and different way may well present itself when the state releases its RFP – this spring or summer – for a broad Medical Home pilot.
All home care agencies should be familiar with the state’s plans – as described in their Patient Centered Medical Home Framework for Design and Implementation. Help physicians to see how a new home care partnership can make a medical home work.
– Pat Kelleher
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