Hello everyone,
Today the Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts has graciously allowed me to guest blog on some very important regulatory issues facing home care. I am a home care nurse working in quality and compliance for one the largest home care agencies in the state. Currently, I’m a student at the Yale School of Nursing in their Nursing, Management, Policy, and Leadership program. I am completing an internship here at the Alliance and I plan to end it with a trip to the NAHC “March on Washington” conference this week.
This is a very exciting and challenging time for the industry. Home care is viewed by many as a way to safely and effectively care for people, in a financially sound way. I want to make it THE way for patient-centered care.
As the state and nation look towards care redesign in health care, home care should be at the head of the table for this conversation. Yet at the same time, proposed and enacted federal regulation will do extreme and permanent damage to home care. Currently, the certified home care industry is frantically preparing for the implementation of the Face-to-Face rule that takes effect April 1st. As Bill Dombi from NAHC stated, ” this is the most important Medicare change affecting home care in the last 20 years.”
On a positive note, one of our New England legislators, Senator Susan Collins, is actively working to propel forward a bill that would create greater access to home care for our sickest patients. These are the patients that can’t easily visit a physician’s office due to serious and chronic medical conditions. Senator Collins’ Home Health Care Planning Improvement Act of 2011 (S.227) would allow nurse practitioners and physicians assistants, among others, to order home care. While in Washington, I plan on speaking to any legislator who will listen to me about the damaging impact of the Face-to-Face regulation as well as the importance of passing Senator Collins’ bill. I have also lobbied remotely via telephone and using HCA-prepared emails and you can too. It’s quick and easy and makes you feel good after it’s completed.
Now is the time for all of us who work in home care or have loved ones who use home care to lobby our elected representatives to advocate for the preservation of home care.
Thank You!
Nicole K.
Return to www.thinkhomecare.org.
Think Home Care Blog 
Hi Nicole,
For me it is a good one much easy for our love one so that they would feel that there is no place like home, so that we could really feed their needs.hope your blog would earn a lot of support.
the government should also look for this it is also a good benefits to the people wherein very accessible to others and not a waste of time for those in a hurry
very good for those elderly one who have a not so good health no need to go for a long distance hospitals just at home.
home based home care is much easy and not a waste of time because there in no place like home.where u can relax all day.
Hi! nicloe.
Regarding with your blog about Health care…I just want to agree to you that it is really true that our health now is very important for us to leave healthy and well being, also to our family’s health..For us to work properly and to do the task everyday..
How can we have a good health?well, by having an exercise everyday and to eat nutritious food and have a regular diet for us to do the task perfectly. And for us to be satisfied the worked that we’ve done everyday. However, this day it is very important that we have a healthy body and healthy mind for us to avoid any disease and can save money for the hospital billing in any possibilities that can cause a unhealhty body.
Much better thing for those who has a severe illness. No need to go to a physicians clinic to have their check up instead the physicians will go to their home and look for them.
Nicole, your article is really motivating in concern of home care industry. this is the only one industry which spread love only. I also running a homecare in austria and i know in the end of the day i got bliss in my life.
Thanks For sharing this information.
Kudos to you Nicole for the dedication and concern to the betterment of home care for our seniors. I hope more people would get to read your article and get motivated and encourage as well.
Great job and more power to you. 🙂
I am one hundred percent in favor of home care as opposed to senior living community or assisted living. In my opinion home is where our elders would want to be, surrounded and love by his/her family. So I am with you in hoping for the preservation of home care.
Thanks a lot for putting this together Nicole. 🙂 And I hope to come across with more of your articles in the future. 🙂