Category: The Alliance in the News

Alliance Members Thrive With Accreditation

From the Halifax Plympton Reporter:

In addition to the economic situation, [Comfort Keepers of South Shore, Cape Cod & Metrowest co-owner Robert] Mullaney credits the company’s growth in part to their recent accreditation by the Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts. Accreditation for in-home pay care is new to Massachusetts, and Comfort Keepers was among the first pay-for-care organizations to be accredited.

“Accreditation allows Comfort Keepers to be a preferred provider with government agencies. We were just approved by Massachusetts Brain Injury to be a preferred provider as well,” Raquel Mullaney said.

The Alliance launched its Agency Accreditation Program in July 2010 and accredited 34 of its agencies as of December 9, 2010.   To become accredited, agencies must demonstrate compliance with and/or documentation of 14 points regarding hiring, background checks, training, complaint/abuse reporting, and proof of various insurances.  The program is the only of its kind in Massachusetts and is open to all home care agencies in the state.

Return to www.thinkhomecare.org.

HCA Welcomes New Member: Charaka Home Care

The Alliance is pleased to welcome its newest member, Charaka Home Care, a private care agency in Boston, Massachusetts.

Nurse Applauds Congressman McGovern for Visit

In appreciation of Congressman Jim McGovern’s recent home visit with Community VNA of Attleboro, the nurse who the Congressman accompanied wrote an Op-Ed praising McGovern’s support of home health issues. The editorial appears here in the Attleboro Sun-Chronicle.

Sandy Legg-Forgiel was the registered nurse and telemonitoring coordinator for Community VNA who brought Congressman McGovern on the visit to the home of a patient on telehealth services. In addition to his existing support, McGovern agreed to sign on to an initiative that would expand the use of remote patient-monitoring services.

Congressman McGovern is a leading champion in Washington DC for the home health industry having established the Home Health Working Group in Congress and has filed or signed on to several pieces of legislation throughout his career that were of benefit to home care.

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Metrowest Daily News Promotes HCA Accreditation Program

The Home Care Alliance’s new Accreditation Program, which was recently announced at an event for members at Hebrew SeniorLife Home Care, is already gaining attention.

The Metrowest Daily News ran a story on the program that is meant to promote a series of standards for private duty home care agencies. The article mentions that, “The new standards cover areas such as recognizing and reporting elder abuse, ensuring services and costs are clear to customers up-front, and establishing procedures for clients to report problems with aides.”

The article states further a need for such standards as “Locally, the population of residents 75 and older was measured at nearly 26,000 in the 2000 Census, but that number is expected to grow to more than 40,000 by 2030, according to data from the MetroWest Community Health Care Foundation.”

The Metrowest Daily News covers 27 towns west of Boston, including Framingham.

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MA Home Health Agencies Excel in Medicare Demo Project

As a result of their efforts to achieve measurable improvement goals in patient health and quality of life, eighteen Massachusetts home health agencies received a share of a federal performance pool of $15.4 million, which is also the national Medicare savings attained through the project.

For more information, see the Alliance’s press release.

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Boston Globe: Home Health a Bright Spot in Job Market

The Boston Sunday Globe ran three articles in the Money & Careers section and each one had mentioned home health as a bright spot in terms of job growth in the current economy and moving forward over the next decade.

One article broke down the top occupations in terms growth and quoted the Alliance’s Tim Burgers regarding home health aides and nurses:

An aging population is hoping to live independently. That means health care at home and in the community will be a source of jobs. For both nurses and home health aides, “there’s more demand than supply,’’ said Tim Burgers, associate director of the nonprofit Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts.

Another article in that section titled “Health Care Help Always Needed” mentioned that home health is the nation’s fastest growing health care occupation, as it is projected to have a 50 percent growth from 2008-1028.

DeAnne Nignault of the Visiting Nurse Association of Boston, conducts a follow-up visit with patient Ann Boyle (Photo courtesy of Boston Globe/Pat Greenhouse)

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ThinkHomeCare.org Promoted on WBZ Radio

The Home Care Alliance is promoting the website “thinkhomecare.org” on WBZ News Radio (1030-AM) with an ad that is themed around keeping the entire family home for the holidays.

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Alliance to Lead State in National Quality Campaign

With federal and local health reform efforts focused on improving quality and cutting costs, The Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts will be the state leader in a new national campaign to reduce avoidable hospitalizations and improve management of oral medications though home health care.

Performed in partnership with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), a new and improved Home Health Quality Improvement (HHQI) National Campaign will launch January 13, 2010. As a HHQI Local Area Network of Excellence (LANE), the Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts is the central hub of campaign activity in the state.

See the Alliance press release on the HHQI campaign.

In 2007 and 2008, more than 5,500 home health agencies enrolled in the first HHQI National Campaign. Together they learned, shared best practices, and improved the care provided to their patients.

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Boston Globe: South Boston Adult Care Program to Close

Due to the amendment in Medicaid Adult Day Health regulations meant to save $6 million, many adult day health centers will be closing their doors. Among them is Catholic Cahrities’ Laboure Center, which serves 45 elders and adults with special needs.

The Boston Globe reported on the closing of the Laboure Center that will shut down on December 31.

The budget cuts will impact centers across the state, as the following excerpt explains:

Because of the new state regulations, which went into effect Nov. 15 as part of an effort to cut $6 million in Medicaid spending, at least 50 percent of adult day program participants are ineligible for some basic care, according to the Massachusetts Adult Day Services Association.

Call the Governor’s office TODAY at 617-725-4005 and urge him to take action!

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VNA of Boston Names New President-CEO

The following is an announcement from the Visiting Nurse Association of Boston:

VISITING NURSE ASSOCIATION OF BOSTON & AFFILIATES NAMES NEW PRESIDENT & CEO
Reynold G. Spadoni to Lead the Nation’s Oldest Home Healthcare Organization

BOSTON — The Visiting Nurse Association of Boston & Affiliates (VNAB), the oldest home healthcare organization in the country and one of the largest in New England has recently named Reynold G. Spadoni as President and Chief Executive Officer.

John Murphy, Chairman of the VNAB’s board of directors, expressed confidence in Spadoni’s ability to lead the agency’s comprehensive home health programs.

“Rey has extensive experience in the health care arena, including several leadership positions in public health, managed care, community health centers and hospitals.” said Murphy, “Rey is a highly respected leader with a strong sense of mission and ethics. He has demonstrated a keen eye for expanding programs and creating new opportunities while maintaining focus on quality patient care.  I know that the organization, our patients, their families and the community will benefit from his tremendous skills.”

“I’m extremely pleased and honored to join an organization with such a rich history of serving patients and families throughout Eastern Massachusetts.” said Spadoni, “VNAB’s mission, track record and exceptional staff are compelling and vital during this time of great change in our industry and I’m thrilled to have been given this opportunity.”

Spadoni joins the organization from his role as Vice President of Operations and Development at Atrius Health/Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates.

Spadoni has a career that spans more than 25 years working in various leadership roles in the health care industry. He previously held senior management positions at Quincy Medical Center, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Dimock Community Health Center, Ernst and Young and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

In his new role, Spadoni assumes overall responsibility for administration of the Visiting Nurse Association of Boston & Affiliates, which includes end-of-life support through VNA Hospice Care and private pay services through VNA Private Care.

The VNAB is one of the largest home healthcare agencies in New England with more than 500 employees and an operating budget of $44 million.  In 2008, it provided 250,000 home care visits to more than 12,000 patients.  Spadoni has a B.A. from Holy Cross College and an M.B.A. from Boston University.

Return to www.thinkhomecare.org.