As Rhode Island embarks on a major effort to shift long-term care away from institutions and back to seniors’ homes and communities, agencies that provide care and support in those settings are rising in prominence, and demand for their services is expected to grow rapidly.
One significant player in that field is the Visiting Nurse Association of Rhode Island, the oldest and largest visiting nurse association in the state.
The VNA was recently named to the 2009 HomeCare Elite, a listing of the top 25 percent of U.S. home-health agencies compiled by OCS HomeCare and DecisionHealth.
Mary Linn Hamilton, president and CEO of the VNA of Rhode Island, answered questions about her agency and the recent recognition.
PBN: How big is the VNA of Rhode Island, and what range of services do you offer?
HAMILTON: The VNA of Rhode Island was founded in 1900 as the Providence District Nurses Association. Today, we employ 150 field and office staff, and we provide care to over 600 patients a day in their homes. Our specialty programs include cardiac services, hospice and palliative care, pediatric care, wound and medical care. We provide primarily skilled nursing; physical, occupational, and speech therapy; medical social work; and certified nursing assistance care.
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PBN: What demographics do you serve, and who are your primary payers?
HAMILTON: We serve residents in Rhode Island, as well as southeastern Massachusetts. Patients are referred from hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, physician offices, as well as families, friends or self-referral. We take all payers but are primarily Medicare.
PBN: How closely do you track your performance on quality measures, and what kinds of measures were used to rank you among the HomeCare Elite?
HAMILTON: Quality is measured by patient/family satisfaction using responses to mailed surveys compiled by Fazzi and Associates. It is also measured through patient health outcomes with scores developed from standardized assessments completed by nurses and therapists which are submitted to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. These scores are publicly reported on CMS’ Home Health Compare Web site and are used to determine Home Health Elite agencies.
PBN: How much is home health changing, and how does that change what is considered the “state of the art” and high-quality in the industry?
HAMILTON: A recent article published in Inside Healthcare [read it here] showcased our use of technology in electronic medical records and for in-home, real time measurement and monitoring of patients’ weight and vital signs. Current technology is rapidly changing our ability to intervene in situations, and by so doing, prevent use of emergency rooms and hospitalizations. This prevention contributed to our recognition among Home Health Elite.
PBN: Rhode Island is in the process of revamping its long-term care system, and one of the big priorities is to shift spending away from institutional care and toward home and community-based care. How has this affected your agency so far, and how do you expect it to affect you in the next year?
HAMILTON: Because of VNA of Rhode Island’s charitable mission, we do not turn anyone away due to financial status. As the Medicaid Global Waiver contributes the shift of long-term care from institutional to home care settings, we are in a position to provide the skilled care required to keep patients at home. The shortage of caregivers physically capable of providing personal care for their loved ones has showed this shift. VNA of Rhode Island expects to continue this provision of skilled care and training of family caregivers as the waiver implementation continues.
To learn more about the VNA of Rhode Island, visit www.vnari.org.
