~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Healthcare Reform and It's Impact on Home Health Care, Hospice, and Private Duty Home Care

Your update on how this legislation will affect you and your agency

November 11, 2009

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In this issue...

-- Healthcare Reform Legislation Passed By Congress Will Mean Huge Cuts in Medicare Home Health Benefit

-- What Can You Do?

-- November is Home Care & Hospice Month

-- Please Participate in the 2009 Private Duty Home Care Benchmarking Survey

-- Today is Veterans Day

-- How Certified Home Health Agencies Can Succeed in Private Duty Home Care

-- About the Author

-- Permission to Reproduce

Welcome,

Welcome to this issue of Home Health Care Today, the leading electronic newsletter for home health care and hospice executives who want to grow their business and get ready for the future. Every other Wednesday, we bring you strategies and insights that will help you take your agency to new heights.

For ideas to grow your Private Duty Home Care business, subscribe to Private Duty Today, the bi-weekly newsletter for non-medical home care CEOs. Your complimentary subscription is available at www.privatedutytoday.com.

Healthcare Reform Legislation Passed By Congress Will Mean Huge Cuts in Medicare Home Health Benefit

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In last Saturday's session of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Congress passed House Bill H.R. 3962, the 2,000+ page piece of legislation that will touch every facet of healthcare in America.

We wrote to you two weeks ago from the NAHC Annual Conference in Los Angeles about some of the impacts of this bill on home health care.

While many in home health care agree that our system needs to be reformed, we have major concerns about this bill. The National Association for Home Care and Hospice has agreed to support Medicare cuts at the level of $34 billion proposed by President Obama, but the industry will have a difficult time enduring the $56.8 billion in cuts to home health and $10 billion in cuts to hospice that are contained in this bill.

Here's a link to the White House web site that breaks down the sources of funding to pay for this healthcare reform process.

www.whitehouse.gov/MedicareFactSheetFinal/

The passage of this bill is causing major concerns on the part of industry leaders.

"The current level of proposed cuts in H.R. 3962 will severely impact safety net home health agencies' ability to care for vulnerable patients who are typically low-income and have medically complex needs," stated Andy Carter, President and CEO of VNAs of America.. "We urge the House leadership and potential conferees to look to the Senate health reform package, which includes lower cuts for home health and provisions to protect safety net providers and the patients they serve."

What Can You Do?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As CEO of your home health agency, and a leader in our industry and profession, there are some things you can do to prepare for the impact of this legislation:

• Learn as much about the current bill as possible
• Consider the impact of this bill on consumers, patients, providers, your community, our industry, and our country
• Pay attention to the legislation being prepared in the U.S. Senate
• Get information from your state and national home care associations
• Determine what elements of these two bills you agree with, can live with, disagree with, and can't live with
• Contact your state's Senators and let them know what you think about this issue, and how you believe the U.S. Senate should address the issue of healthcare reform
• Support the NAHC legislative action committee
• Support your state association's legislative action committee
• Communicate with the members of your home health team about the potential impact of these bills
• Encourage your employees, referral sources, friends, family, and contacts in the community to reach out to your Senator to communicate their position on this legislation
• Stay tuned to Home Health Care Today for future updates

Three months ago, I wrote an article for another industry publication about health care reform. As I read this current bill, I am seeing my predictions coming true. Here's what I said then:

8/15/09

Here are a couple of things you can count on:

1. There will be some kind of healthcare reform legislation

Given all of the pressure by the President and Congress to reform healthcare, there WILL be some type of legislation. Exactly what remains of the Bill that is currently being discussed is unclear, but there are lots of hidden details that we need to uncover and try to understand.

2. The focus will be on providing coverage for the uninsured

While it is being called "healthcare reform," it is really "health insurance reform." The focus is on providing coverage for the uninsured and under insured. Most people that I talk with agree that this is a good thing. The questions are, "How will we do it?", and "How will it be paid for?"

3. Money will come out of your pocket to pay for the reform

As an executive of a home health agency, you can be sure that you will help pay for this reform in some way. First, you'll pay through your personal taxes or through increased cost of goods and services produced by those who will pay more taxes. Second, you'll pay through changes in reimbursement from Medicare and Medicaid that will be diverted from providing home health and hospice to other purposes. The government is already talking about the big savings they plan to wring out of Medicare.

4. Government regulation on home health care will increase as a result of reform

In home health care, we already spend a great deal of time, talent, and treasure dealing with government regulation in order to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Based on the provisions of the current bill that I have read and heard discussed, we can expect more regulation of home health services and other health care.

5. You can and will survive these changes if you get ready now

Over the past 27 years of working in home health care, I've observed that we are a very resilient industry. We've survived many ups and downs and cross ways crises. We'll survive this one too. That doesn't mean it will be easy, and some individual agencies will go out of business as a result of the changes.

The agencies that survive and prosper as a result of this reform process will be those that are getting ready now.

What do you think?

I'd love to hear your thoughts. Please hit reply to this email and give me your feedback.

November is Home Care & Hospice Month

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

November is "National Homecare Month and National Hospice Month." The themes for 2009 are as follows: Homecare: Love in Action and Hospice: Great Care at Last.

The intent of this celebration is to raise public awareness concerning both hospice and homecare.

"Helping frail, disabled and dying Americans to stay independent and happy in their homes is our goal," said Val J. Halamandaris, President of NAHC. "Home care professionals and volunteers, along with modern medicine and technology, make it possible for sick citizens to be cared for in their homes where they can be surrounded by loved ones and precious mementos as they live their best quality of life."

This week - November (November 9 - 15th) is marked as an occasion to celebrate the important contribution that home care aides make in providing personal care services to home care patients. The role of the home care aide is integral to providing care to elderly or disabled clients who need more extensive personal and home care than family or friends can provide. We join NAHC in celebrating home health aides and private duty caregivers in their commitment to providing quality and compassionate care.

Please Participate in the 2009 Private Duty Home Care Benchmarking Survey

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We invite and encourage you to participate in this survey if:

1. You have a private duty home care business as part of your certified home health agency.

2. You are a free standing private duty home care company.

3. You are part of a franchise organization.

4. You are a private duty company affiliated with another healthcare organization.

The more home care companies that participate in the survey, the more likely we are to have valid data that you can use to benchmark your processes and performance.

As an incentive for you to share your data with us, we will make the final report available at a significant discount to those who choose to take the survey.

To participate in the survey click on the link below.

2009 Private Duty Today Benchmarking Survey

Today is Veterans Day

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Reach out and touch a veteran. In this time of war, terrorism, and anti-American sentiment around the world, we need to celebrate and honor the veterans who have sacrificed much to protect our freedom. Without our veterans and their sacrifices, we would not have the freedom to reach out and help the elderly and disabled in America through home health, hospice, and private duty home care.

How Certified Home Health Agencies Can Succeed in Private Duty Home Care

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Last month, I spoke at the NAHC Annual Conference on the topic, "How Certified Home Health Agencies Can Succeed in Private Duty Home Care." It was one of the more rewarding presentations I have given in recent years because of the level of participation from the audience, and the number of people who stayed around after the program to ask questions.

It's clear that Private Duty Home Care is a hot topic among certified agencies.

If you have a private duty business within or affiliated with your home health agency or hospice, you'll want to consider having your Director come to Louisville, KY on December 2, 2009 for the Academy for Private Duty Home Care. This is a one-day institute designed to help owners, administrators, and CEOs of private duty companies grow their businesses.

We have a special relationship with the luxurious The Brown Hotel in downtown Louisville which enables us to include your hotel accommodations in with the registration fee.

We're also delighted to have two state home care associations as co-sponsors of this event. The Kentucky Home Health Association and the Indiana Association for Home and Hospice Care are both making special packages available to their members. If you are a member of either of these wonderful associations, please go to their web site to register. If not, click on the link below.

If you are serious about growing your private duty business, you'll want to be in Louisville on December 2 for the Academy for Private Duty Home Care.

Register today!

About the Author

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stephen Tweed, CSP, is Chairman and CEO of Leading Home Care ... a Tweed Jeffries company. For over 25 years he has been a recognized leader in strategy and leadership development for home health care & hospice companies and associations. He is the author or co-author of seven books, five of which were written specifically for the home care industry. He has served on the boards of directors of three not-for-profit home care agencies, and has served as interim President & CEO of a $25 million home care company.

Stephen is a past-President of the National Speakers Association, a 3500 member international society of experts who speak professionally. He is also the father of a 38 year-old son who is physically disabled and uses the services of home care on a daily basis.

Meet the entire Leading Home Care Team

Permission to Reproduce

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Permission is granted to healthcare publications, associations and companies to reproduce this article in your publication, or to distribute copies to your leaders, on the condition that you reproduce the credits and contact information as follows: "Reprinted with permission from Home Health Care Today. Copyright 2009 Stephen C. Tweed. To receive a FREE subscription to this newsletter, log on to www.leadinghomecare.com."

Quick Links...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

· Our Website

· Products

· Services

· More About Us

Quick Links...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

· Our Website

· Products

· Services

· More About Us

Contact Leading Home Care

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

email: stephen@leadinghomecare.com

phone: 1-866-209-5101

web: http://www.leadinghomecare.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~