All 11 VAHHA member home care agencies have joined the Home Health Quality Initiative National Campaign to reduce avoidable hospitalizations and improve medication management. The initiative is a grassroots movement designed to unite home health stakeholders and multiple health care settings under a shared vision of reducing avoidable hospitalizations and improving medication management. These goals will be accomplished through the distribution of tools, resources, guidelines, information and best practice education to home health agencies across the country that agree to participate.
Home care and health care leaders kicked off the 18-month national home health quality improvement campaign January 13 at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) headquarters in Baltimore, Md.
“Quality health care for people with Medicare is a high priority for CMS,” said Jean Moody-Williams, RN, MPP, Director of CMS’ Quality Improvement Group. “We are pleased to see such a diverse mix of home care and cross-setting stakeholders working together to improve patient care and achieve our vision for the right care for every person every time.”
The Vermont Assembly of Home Health Agencies, the professional association that represents the nonprofit home care agencies in Vermont, is serving as a Local Area Network for Excellence (LANE) for Vermont. LANEs are stakeholder organizations that serve as the central hubs of activity in the HHQI National Campaign. These key partners create campaign awareness, provide participant encouragement and facilitate communication among agencies. LANEs also facilitate agency recruitment; registration opened to all home health agencies today.
“This project should not only help agencies improve the quality of the care provided but also help assure that Vermonters get the best care possible,” said Peter Cobb, VAHHA Director.
So far, ten Vermont agencies have joined this project. The 2010 Campaign is a continuation and expansion of a quality improvement program from. In 2007 over 5,000 home health agencies nationwide were enrolled in that Home Health Quality Improvement National Campaign. Involved agencies worked throughout the year to reduce avoidable hospitalizations.
More information about the campaign can be found on the campaign’s Web site at: www.homehealthquality.org.
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