FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For Further Information Contact:
Desiree M. Voinche
Manager, Communications and Outreach
voinched@dfmc.org

Five Thousand Agencies Sign Up
For Home Health Quality Improvement National Campaign

Baltimore, Maryland, June 4, 2007 – In less than four months, 5,000 home health agencies have signed up to participate in the 2007 Home Health Quality Improvement (HHQI) National Campaign. This represents more than 60 percent of all Medicare-certified home health agencies in the country. In Maryland, 45 home health agencies (94%) have joined the campaign and 17 agencies (81%) have joined in the District of Columbia. Delmarva Foundation for Medical Care, Inc. is serving as the Local Area Network for Excellence (LANE) for Maryland and the District of Columbia, and has been instrumental in making the campaign a success in these two regions.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and Quality Insights of Pennsylvania, the Home Health Quality Improvement Organization Support Center (HHQIOSC), launched the HHQI National Campaign at CMS headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland on January 11, 2007. Since the launch, CMS, national stakeholders and individual Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs) have worked closely to implement an extensive educational campaign aimed at reducing avoidable acute care hospitalizations in the home health setting. The purpose of this unified effort is to assist patients with remaining in their homes when it is appropriate, increase patient satisfaction, improve quality, and reduce health care costs.

Recruitment success can be attributed to multiple factors, including the efforts of national partners and Local Area Networks of Excellence (LANEs). LANEs are comprised of QIOs and state home care associations that encourage agency enrollment and provide local assistance. All states and territories currently have an active LANE.

“This impressive milestone is indicative of the dedication of our nation’s home health agencies to providing the right care at the right time,” said Barry Straube, MD, CMS Chief Medical Officer and Director of the Office of Clinical Standards and Quality. “CMS is confident that the diligent work being done by these agencies will contribute to a reduction of avoidable hospitalizations which will improve patient satisfaction, outcomes, and save Medicare dollars.”

The Home Health Quality Improvement National Campaign was founded by key home health stakeholders:  National Association for Home Care and Hospice; American Association for Homecare; Visiting Nurse Association of America; American Telemedicine Association; Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association; Care Transitions Program, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center; American Occupational Therapy Association; American Physical Therapy Association; American Speech-Language-Hearing Association; Gentiva Health Services; Visiting Nurse Service of New York, Center for Home Care Policy and Research, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and its contractors, the Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs); and The Remington Report. More information about the campaign can be found on the official Web site, www.homehealthquality.org.

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About Delmarva Foundation
Delmarva Foundation is a national, not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving healthcare quality in over 20 states. Since 1973, Delmarva has assisted in improving care in hospitals, nursing homes, home health agencies, medical practices and health plans. Delmarva performs quality improvement, quality assurance, utilization review, external quality review and Program Safeguard activities. The company's corporate headquarters are located in Easton, Maryland with other offices in Baltimore, Maryland; Washington, DC; Columbia, South Carolina; Tampa, Florida; and Tallahassee, Florida. For more information, please visit Delmarva Foundation on the web at www.delmarvafoundation.org.