Category: Publications

Now Available: 2023 Resource Directories

Considered to be “the bible for home care” in Massachusetts, copies of the the 2023 Resource Directory have been shipped to every case manager, hospital, COA, state legislator, and GCM in Massachusetts. Copies available for purchase.

2023 Massachusetts Home Health Resource Director

This is the one, indispensable book anyone making referrals must have. It’s the bible for home care in Massachusetts. — Gina Martin, RN, CCM

Copies of the the Alliance’s annual referral directory have already been shipped to every case manager, hospital, COA, state legislator, and GCM in Massachusetts.

Need an extra copy? They’re available for purchase on our website, with free shipping (as always).

Alternatively, you can also use our online Find an Agency search.

Return to www.thinkhomecare.org.

2022 Annual Report

Our 2022 Annual Report highlights the Alliance and Foundation’s achievements and finances over the past 12 months.

Our 2022 Annual Report highlights the Alliance and Foundation’s achievements and finances over the past 12 months.

Download the Full REport

Highlights from the Past Year

  • Updated and revised the Alliance Bylaws to create a Hospice Member category and restructure the board to be more representative of the membership
  • Worked with an outside consultant to develop a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion self-assessment tool for member agencies
  • Created a home care leaders of color group facilitated by Charlene Brown to provide networking and peer support
  • Conducted member forums to gather input, and then submitted detailed comments and recommendations to MassHealth on revisions to home health, continuous skilled nursing, and hospice regulations
  • Researched and identified reliable resources for PPE (www.ppe-buyers.com and www.bttnusa.com) to reduce impacts of supply-chain disruptions.
  • Collaborated with Barbara Citarella of RBC Limited to produce an e-book on Workplace Safety for Occupational Exposure to COVID-19.
  • Identified a new preferred partner for retirement plans in Mutual of America
  • Successfully advocated for continuation/expansion of ARPA and Enough Pay to Stay rate add-on investments
  • Worked with HCA Council and the legislature to translate the recommendations from the Home Care Licensure Commission into a legislative bill
  • Successfully advocated for inclusion of a $13.5M Home Health Student Loan Repayment program and $16.5M workforce development grant program as part of the legislature’s initiative to appropriate American Rescue Plan Act funds.
  • Worked with the MHA Post-Acute Care Transitions workgroup on COVID and capacity issues across the continuum.
  • Increased frequency of Clinical Director and Quality Improvement Group meetings to monthly.
  • Testified at the MassHealth Hearing regarding the proposed Hospice Regulations, requesting a number of changes and clarifications to the regulations as proposed, as well as urging MassHealth to conduct provider education about the revised regulations.
  • Established an Infectious Disease Management Group/Listserv and hosted an educational meeting , and Hospice Infection Control Expert presenting Infection Prevention and Control COVID Update.
  • Developed a 5-hour webinar series, for home health clinicians and managers entitled Home Health 101: Orientation to Home Health Compliance
  • Advocated for and communicated to members COVID relief funding for providers and employers
  • Thousands of member regulatory and pandemic-related questions

Read the full report below.

Just Published: 2022 Resource Directories

Considered to be “the bible for home care” in Massachusetts, copies of the the 2022 Resource Directory have been shipped to every case manager, hospital, COA, state legislator, and GCM in Massachusetts. Additional copies are available for purchase.

This is the one, indispensable book anyone making referrals must have. It’s the bible for home care in Massachusetts. — Gina Martin, RN, CCM

Copies of the the Alliance’s annual referral directory have already been shipped to every case manager, hospital, COA, state legislator, and GCM in Massachusetts.

Need an extra copy? They’re available for purchase on our website, with free shipping (as always).

Alternatively, you can also use our online Find an Agency search.

Return to www.thinkhomecare.org.

Alliance Partners with RBC Ltd on OSHA Manual

Barbara Citarella
RBC’s Barbara Citarella

In response to the new OSHA Emergency Temporary Standard issued in June, the Alliance has teamed up with Barbara Citarella of RBC Limited to produce an e-book on Workplace Safety for Occupational Exposure to COVID-19. The document includes model policies and multiple forms in the addendum section that will be helpful as guidance for compliance with the OSHA Standard. The manual can also serve as a template for any other infectious communicable diseases. All documents may be used as is or may be personalized by using PDF editing software.

We will be working with RBC to market this new manual nationwide. Alliance members can be the first to purchase your copies here!

Purchase today

2021 Annual Report

Our 2021 Annual Report highlights the Alliance and Foundation’s achievements over the past 12 months, and looks forward to our post-COVID future.

Our 2021 Annual Report highlights the Alliance and Foundation’s achievements over the past 12 months.

Download the Full REport

Responding to COVID

Since the onset of the pandemic and the declarations of federal and state emergencies, the Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts shifted much of its attention and resources to COVID-19-related membership support. To that end,
the Alliance:

  • Distributed donated PPE valued at over $150,000 through multiple distributions of free hand-sanitizer, gloves, gowns, face shields, and other PPE through a partnership with the Massachusetts Health & Hospitals Association and offered PPE at a competitive group discount price through our partnership with American Advertising Specialties.
  • Published 50 special member newsletters devoted exclusively to COVID topics – issued daily during the height of the public health emergency.
  • Worked with the Betsey Lehman Center on a PPE video series specific to home care and prepared an accompanying CEU PowerPoint and test for agencies to use alongside the video, including: Don/Doff PPE, Infection Control in the Home, and Video Pre/Post Test with Answers.
  • Developed two educational flyers on COVID for members to leave in the homes of clients/patients. The “Safe Holiday” flyer encouraged safe social distancing during holiday celebrations, and the “Wear Your Mask” brochure reinforced safety with patient families when a home care worker was in the house. The “Wear Your Mask” brochure was also translated into Spanish.
  • Advocated on social media when home care was excluded from the first round of health care worker vaccines. This generated more than 150 tweets (from over 40 accounts) and resulted in Governor Baker recognizing home care at a press event and moving up vaccine access date.
  • Worked with the MHA Post-Acute Care Transitions workgroup on a universal pre-discharge COVID testing protocol.
  • Offered regular calls for CEOs of certified and private care agencies to share and learn from each other, as well as calls for clinical directors, HR mangers, and hospice directors.
  • Secured the continuation (post-COVID) State of Emergency of Medicaid coverage of telehealth visits.
  • Answered hundreds of member regulatory questions related to the pandemic.
  • Hosted a COVID-19 Resource page that includes Allied member COVID resource services and that generated more than 6,500 unique page views.

Other 2020-2021 Work

Among the member supportive services over the past twelve months, the Alliance and Foundation have:

  • Succeeding in passing a FY 21 budget request for $17 million in money for home health aides and homemakers.
  • Helped to establish, and was appointed to, a commission to create a framework for licensure of private home care for the state Legislature to consider.
  • Completely revamped both our Find-an-Agency and our Allied member online directories with more information per company, and in a more readily accessible, clearer format.
  • Hosted dozens of member webinars , such as: Paid Family Medical Leave Benefit, the Medicare Home Infusion Benefit, Payroll Protection Loans, ICD-10 Comprehensive Coding
  • Worked with Mass EOEA on a plan for EVV roll out
  • Worked with MassHealth on rewriting home health program regulations.
  • Featured video interviews with agency leaders of color for Black History Month.

Read the full report below.

2021 Private Care Guides Connect Families & Home Care Agencies

The 2021 Private Care Directories will connect thousands of Massachusetts residents with the home care agencies they need.

For 15 years, the Guides to Private Home Care Services have connected tens of thousands of families with the home care agencies that best meet their needs. While our Resource Directory is intended for professionals who make regular referrals, the Private Care Guides are designed for consumers and are always available at no charge, with free shipping on most orders. Choose from among three regional editions:

2021 Private Care Guide - Boston North
2021 Private Care Guide - Central/West
2021 Private Care Guide - South of Boston

(Click one of the thumbnails to place your free order).

Each Guide contains a county-by-county cross-reference, as well as short essays about:

  • What home care is;
  • How to pay for it;
  • How to choose an agency, and;
  • The advantages of working with a home care agency.

This year, the Guides feature Francisca Depina & Maritza DelRosario of Upham’s Corner Health Center/Upham’s Home Health Care, who are among
the #HomeCareHeroes who have given so much to serve their clients
during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Return to www.thinkhomecare.org.

2020 Annual Report

Our 2020 Annual Report highlights the Alliance and Foundation’s achievements over the past 12 months, including our response to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Our 2020 Annual Report highlights the Alliance and Foundation’s achievements over the past 12 months.

2020 Annual Report of the Home Care Alliance and Foundation for Home Health
Download the Full REport

Responding to COVID

Since the onset of the pandemic and the declarations of federal and state emergencies, the Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts shifted much of its attention and resources to COVID-19-related membership support. To that end,
the Alliance:

  • Was the first state to create guidelines for members—both medical and non-medical—admitting COVID-positive patients. This guidance was adopted by many other states and shared by the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC)
  • Offered regular calls for CEOs of certified and private care agencies to share and learn from each other, as well as calls for clinical directors, HR mangers, and hospice directors
  • Published more than 50 COVID Updates, a new publication exclusively for our members
  • Advocated for, and secured, multiple Medicaid waivers, including full payment for remote visits, waiver of certain in-home assessment requirements, and allowance of a remote audio-visual face-to-face (F2F)
  • Successfully advocated for non-medical home care services to be deemed “essential” to continue operations in the early days of the pandemic as the Baker Administration was issuing business closures
  • Worked with MassHealth on guidance to keep telehealth waivers permanent
  • Hosted more than a dozen webinars on topics such as: accessing the PPP program, documenting telehealth visits for payment, unemployment and COVID, the CARES ACT, and Medicare stimulus funding
  • Advocated with the state for COVID support funding, resulting in Massachusetts being among the most generous states in passing federal Medicaid money to agencies in the form of 10% rate increases for home health, 20% rate increases for continuous skilled nursing, and 10% provider payment relief for providers in the State Home Care Program
  • Answered hundreds of member regulatory questions related to the pandemic
  • Developed and hosted a COVID-19 Resource page that includes Allied member COVID resource services, generating more than 1,500 page views between March and August
  • Secured Board of Registration in Nursing clarification, assuring that the federal change related to NPs and home health services will remain operative in Massachusetts after the State of Emergency
  • Worked with MassHealth on the new agency-directed PCA model program
  • Coordinated strategy with the Home Care Aide Council on expanded services and increased funding in the EOEA home care program
  • Worked with the Massachusetts Medical Society to educate physicians about audio-visual F2F assessment requirements
  • Worked with assisted living facilities and other acute and post-acute providers to educate them on the federal temporary changes to the Medicare homebound requirement
  • Worked with the Betsy Lehman Center on an infection control training and toolbox for use in homemaker and aide training

Other 2019-2020 Work

Among the member supportive services over the past twelve months, the Alliance and Foundation have:

  • Moved the entire Spring Conference and Trade Show to a virtual platform available to members on demand
  • Offered members a one-time 15% dues discount
  • Worked with state legislators and other stakeholders to advance an effective non-medical home care licensure bill; Legislation is unlikely to be signed into
  • law prior to the end of the 2020 Legislative Session
  • Produced a series of videos for our website and for members’ use on working with Private Care home care agencies
  • Provided Get Out the Home Care Vote materials for members to use with their employees
  • Hosted an EVV vendor webinar series
  • Hosted multiple sessions on operating under the PDGM payment system
  • Hosted a virtual Home Care Aide Recognition Day, engaging more than 1,000 people on Facebook and Twitter, honoring 120 aides from member agencies

2020 Private Care Guides Connect Families & Home Care Agencies

For more than a decade, the Guides to Private Home Care Services have connected tens of thousands of families with the home care agencies that best meet their needs. While our Resource Directory is intended for professionals who make regular referrals, the Private Care Guides are designed for consumers and are always available at no charge, with free shipping on most orders. Choose from among three regional editions:

Guide to Private Care Services - South of Boston Edition
Guide to Private Care Services - Boston North Edition
Guide to Private Care Services - Central West Edition

(Click one of the thumbnails to place your free order).

The Guides contain county-by-county cross-references, as well as short essays about:

  • What home care is;
  • How to pay for it;
  • How to choose an agency, and;
  • The advantages of working with a home care agency.

This year, the Guides also honor three of our Home Care Star Awards winners: Me McBride of South Shore VNA, Vinette Tyme of HouseWorks, and Nicole Geddes of Aberdeen Home Care. Congratulations to these amazing care givers!

Return to www.thinkhomecare.org.

Guidance for Home Health and Hospice Agencies on Admissions from Hospitals Related to COVID-19

The Alliance has unveiled detailed guidance for agencies regarding admissions from, and discharges to, hospitals related to COVID-19.

Today, the Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts unveiled detailed guidance for home health agencies regarding admissions from hospitals related to COVID-19. The guide is available as a Word document and providers are encouraged to create policies and procedures that reflect their own agencies’ operations, capabilities, and community/patient needs.

The guide was co-authored with Kimberly Skehan of Simione Healthcare Consultants. Because of the nature of the crisis, we are making this available to all agencies, regardless of current membership status.

Download the Guide

Specific Topics Covered

  1. Screening and acceptance of home health or hospice patients who have been diagnosed with COVID19 from a hospital
  2. Denial of admission for a home health or hospice patient with known or suspected COVID-19
  3. Pre-visit COVID 19 Screening/Assessment
  4. In Home Visit Considerations for Known or Suspected COVID-19 Patients
  5. Personal protective equipment during home healthcare visits to patients and households with no signs and symptoms of COVID-19, or with a negative test
  6. PPE for a patient with signs and symptoms of COVID- 19, or with a positive COVID-19 test, or with pending test results:
  7. COVID-19: When to Discontinue Transmission-based Isolation Precautions
  8. Patient Education and Reassurance
  9. Hospice Inpatient Unit Considerations
  10. References (CDC guidelines)

For more on the novel Coronavirus, visit the Alliance’s COVID-19 Resource page. To learn more about how the Alliance serves its members and the home care industry, visit www.thinkhomecare.org/join.

Just Published: 2020 Resource Directories

Considered to be “the bible for home care” in Massachusetts, copies of the the 2020 Resource Directory have been shipped to every case manager, hospital, COA, state legislator, and GCM in Massachusetts. Additional copies are available for purchase.

This is the one, indispensable book that anyone making referrals must have. It’s the bible for home care in Massachusetts. — Gina Martin, RN, CCM

Copies of the the Alliance’s annual referral directory have already been shipped to every case manager, hospital, COA, state legislator, and GCM in Massachusetts. Members will also receive copies in the mail this week.

Need an extra copy? They’re available for purchase on our website, with free shipping (as always).

New this year, it’s now easier than ever to find agencies who provide hospice care, which now has its own checkmark in the Cities & Towns section.

Alternatively, you can also use the Digital Edition of the directory, as well as our online Find an Agency search.

Return to www.thinkhomecare.org.