The Alliance for Home Health Quality and Innovation (the Alliance) – a non-profit, 501(c)(3) foundation committed to research and education about the value of home health care to patients and the U.S. health care system – today launched a research-based strategic planning project on the future of home health care in America called The Future of Home Health Project.
The Future of Home Health Project is an initiative, which aims to clarify understanding of the current role of home health care, improve understanding of how it will be used in the future for seniors and Americans with disabilities, and identify the key issues and challenges that need to be addressed to achieve improved health care in this context. The Alliance will commission research that will elucidate the role and value of home health care, and develop a strategic framework capturing the critical role and impact of home health care with steps needed to achieve the vision of home health’s role in the future of the health care system.
A white paper released today by the Alliance explains the impetus for the Future of Home Health Project and begins to examine the role of home health care in the United States. The white paper provides background for launching the Future of Home Health Project, and demonstrates how home health has the potential to be utilized to achieve the Triple Aim in healthcare by improving patient experience, improving the health of populations, and reducing the per capita cost of health care. Specifically, the white paper discusses the value of providing care at home, federal policies impacting the delivery of skilled home health care, the role of the Medicare home health benefit, and challenges for meeting the future home health needs of seniors and Americans with disabilities.
“It is critical, now more than ever, that policymakers, patients, home health leaders and other health care stakeholders reflect on the full body of research and analysis to support a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and opportunities associated with appropriately optimizing home health care within our health care system,” said Dr. Steve Landers, President & CEO of VNA Health Group and Chairman of the Alliance. “Our goal in supporting this project is to equip these key audiences with the information needed to ensure that America’s seniors and Americans with disabilities receive the best care possible in the security and dignity of their own homes.”
“There is high value in providing care in the home because where such care is clinically appropriate, it can improve patient outcomes in the least costly, and generally patient-preferred setting,” added Teresa Lee, Executive Director of the Alliance. “We believe that the value proposition of home health care is strong for both patients and the health care system, but that belief must be tested through further research, analysis and discussion. We look forward to working with leaders across our community and the health care continuum to better define the role of home health and to identify key changes needed to achieve an optimal future role in providing care to seniors and Americans with disabilities.”
In launching this project, the Alliance plans to convene home health community leaders, patient groups, health care providers and professionals across the spectrum of care, leading researchers, thought leaders in health care, policy experts and many others. Over the course of this year, the Alliance is looking forward to sponsoring a public workshop that will be conducted by the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council, and hold a symposium on the future of home health care in the fall. The Alliance plans to release the research and strategic framework in 2015. The Alliance wishes to thank the organizations sponsoring the Future of Home Health project, including the Community Health Accreditation Program (CHAP) and Axxess Technologies, and appreciates the steadfast support from each of its member organizations.
More information about the Future of Home Health Project can be found on the Alliance website at www.ahhqi.org/home-health/future-project, or on Twitter using the #FutureofHH hashtag.
Contact Emily White
703-548-0019