Category: Uncategorized

March on Washington Part I

Home Care Alliance members With Senator John Kerry

The Home Care Alliance was pleased to join members from Hebrew Senior Life Homehealth  Care, Overlook VNA, Partners Home Care, VNA of Boston and VNA of Middlesex East in Washington, DC this week to make sure that as health reform’s changes move forward in the coming years, home care and hospice are treated fairly and our patients’ interests are protected.

The days included briefings with staff from 8 of our 11 Congressional offices and a Senate breakfast briefing that featured remarks from Senators Susan Collins, John Kerry (see photo with Alliance delegation) , Chuck Grassley, Russ Feingold,  Ben Cardin, Jeff Merkley, Amy Klobuchar, and John Thune.  Senator Scott Brown and his staff also met with some members of the delegation.

Rey Spadoni, Executive Director VNA of Boston with Senator Scott Brown

More will be written soon on these meetings and the message delivered; and some video and pictures will be posted to our Facebook page.

The member agencies that took the time and expense to travel to Washington and speak to home care’s issues deserve the appreciation of all Home Care Alliance members.

—-  Pat Kelleher

STAAR Project and Home Health

Mid way through the first year of a multi-year project, the state STAAR (STate Action on Avoidable Rehospitalizations) Project has begun looking more closely – at both the project and collaborative team level – at the role of home health care in readmission reduction. The project has recently added a special “Learning Community” for home health agencies and office practices that convenes for one hour a month.   Any home agency, regardless of participation in STAAR, is welcome on these calls.  Call-in information is at the bottom of this post.

Additionally, the STAAR project is bringing to light the possible underutlization of home health services.  One effort to address this may be incorporated into an “enhanced admission” best practice for all STARR hospitals that will begin the process of assessing home-going needs upon admission.   Members of the Home Care Alliance are working with IHI on a discharge criteria tool to be embedded in the enhanced assessment to screen for appropriatenss for home care.

The STAAR teams is also working on a guide for “Creating an Ideal Transition to a Home Health Agency”  that will highlight practices,  tools and case studies of promising changes.

The STAAR project represents a significant step forward in using cross continuum teams to make a real difference in readmission rates and in the projects own words to “create new public and professional norms in which avoidable emergency department visits and avoidable rehospitalizations are seen as system defects.”

Whether you are directly involved in a community collaborative or not, every home health agency is invested in this project’s work and outcomes.

Learning Community Calls for Home Health/Office Practice

Wednesday, April 7 from 1:00 – 2:00 PM, ET
Wednesday, May 5 from 1:00 – 2:00 PM, ET
Wednesday, June 2 from 1:00 – 2:00 PM, ET

To WebEx Website: http://ihi.webex.com

Call In Number: 866-469-3239
Session Number: 352 310 006

Session Name: STAAR OP & HH Learning Community Call

Health Care Reform and Home Care: What We Know Today

On Sunday, March 21st the US House of Representatives passed historic Health Care Reform Legislation.   The bill that passed is that which emerged from the Senate Finance Committee and that passed the Senate at the end of 2009.   As has previously been reported,  the Senate version of reform has been – for home care – less damaging than bills that had previously passed the House. While indications are that there may be some changes to Medicare provisions in the “reconciliation” bill being debated this week in the Senate, there is no indication that there will be changes to the home care language.  What we should expect for home care will be:

• A delayed and phased approach to rebasing of home health payments (rebasing would begin in 2014 and be phased in over four years, as compared with the House’s proposal of complete rebasing in 2011);

• Rejection of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission’s proposed acceleration to 2010 of the 2011 case-mix creep adjustment;

• Preservation of the full market basket update for 2010, with 1 percentage point reductions off the market basket in 2011, 2012, and 2013

• Reinstatement of the rural payment differential (add-on) at 3 percent from April 1, 2010 until Jan. 2, 2016.

The federal long term care program – the CLASS act – is in,  as are demonstration and pilot programs for providing chronic care management, transitions in care, and post-acute care management.  All of these should involve home care.

Additionally, effective in 2014, employers of more than 50 people will be required either to provide coverage or pay a penalty for not offering health insurance to employees. (It is unclear at this point how federal insurance mandates will be handled in relation to the Massachusetts mandates already in place.)

The National Association for Home Care has called the bill “a combination of new opportunities for home care — and threats to the viability of the home health services community.”

With many of the home care cuts  delayed, and demonstration projects to help shape, we will need every voice in Washington to make sure our issues continue to be heard above the continuing health care reform roar.

New Member Benefits Guide Available

Members of the Home Care Alliance are eligible for substantial discounts on a variety of goods and services through from our Preferred Vendors.  From insurance policies, to office and medical supplies, to telephone answering, to financial services — just to name a few! — we’ve screened and vetted companies who will provide you with superior service and discounted rates.

The most recent edition of our Guide to Benefits is now available for download.  A searchable directory of our Allied Members & Preferred Vendors is also available on our website.

Return to www.thinkhomecare.org.

Private Care Guide 2nd Edition Available

The Alliance has printed a second edition of the  2010 Guide to Private Home Care Services.  The new edition — of which there are 2,000 copies — includes five new agencies, for a total of 113.

The Guide is available free of charge, with no shipping fees on orders of less than 50 copies, on our website or by order form.  It is also available for digital download.

Return to www.thinkhomecare.org

Strengthening Partnerships: Enhancing Options for Clinical Placements

In June,2009 the Foundation for Home Health and the Massachusetts Senior Care Foundation sponsored a invitation only working session for educators, home health and long term care providers. The purpose of the day long session was to promote home health and long term care as clinical placement sites for nursing students thereby increasing their awareness of geriatrics and community based programs as desirable places to work. The program was funded by a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education Nursing and Allied Health Initiative. Click here for a copy of the report.

Health Care Reform Breakfast, Part III

Join other Alliance members, along with Tim Rowan, editor of Home Care Technology Report and representatives of the Massachusets eHealth Collaborative and Information Technology Committee for a discussion of the new federal and state goals around electronic health records, and other health IT issues of interest to post acute and long term care providers.  This event is on November 5th at the Radission Hotel in Boston and it is free; but preregistration is required.

Return to www.thinkhomecare.org.

Congress Passes Joint Resoution Honoring Home Care

House Concurrent Resolution 59 honoring and recognizing home care and the profession of care giving was approved by the Senate last week after winning approval in the House of Representatives by a vote 387-0.  

The Resolution reads, in part:  “Congress… recognizes caregiving as a profession  [and] supports the private home care industry and the efforts of family caregivers nationwide.”

Follow the Alliance on Twitter

The Alliance now has a new Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/HCA_Of_Mass.

Return to www.thinkhomecare.org.

DPH Emergency Regulations for Vaccine Administration

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has promulgated and is implementing emergency regulations effective September 14, 2009 authorizing the Commissioner of Public Health to designate certain health care professionals, nursing and medical students to administer seasonal influenza and H1N1 vacine.  These regulatory amendments are part of the DPH’s planning and preparation for pandemic influenza A H1N1 this fall. Click on the following links to review the documents.

DPH Memo

Guidelines for Designated Vaccinators

Written Order Allowing Health Care Professionals and Students to Vaccinate

Attachment A: Ammendment to the Regulation 105 CMR 700.003 (H) These are DPH Regulations that ammend MGL 94 C which is the Controlled Substances Act