HCAOA The Voice Winter 2020

7 Winter 2020 MEMBER NEWS HCAOA talked with several healthcare leaders who work or have experience with the home care industry, but are now focused in other areas of healthcare. We asked them to give us their perspective on the industry, where we are, and what the future looks like for home care. Care in the Home is Not One-Size-Fits-All By Sherl Brand, RN, BSN Senior VP Strategic Solutions, CareCentrix For many years in my career as a nurse, I supervised the delivery of home care. In that role, I learned one thing very quickly: while patients may need skilled nursing or therapy as a critical part of their care at home, it’s the personal care that helps people stay well and at home on a long- term basis. Personal care professionals not only deliver critical services for people who are healing at home, like meal preparation and safe bathing and dressing, but they are the eyes and ears of the home care experience. Their hands-on approach and time spent with the people they care for allows them to become aware of potential health concerns, such as loss of appetite or a behavior change, and alert the home care agency, physician, or family quickly so that these concerns can be addressed in a timely manner. This role has always been important, but as home care plays an increasing role in our healthcare system, it is even more evident. Recent research commissioned by CareCentrix shows that most Amer - icans—73 percent—prefer recovering at home instead of a medical facility. Their caregivers prefer home care over hospital or skilled nursing care as well, with 76 percent of caregivers favoring the home as the site of care. Our research also showed that health plan executives nearly universally agree that care at home benefits both the patient and the health plan. The pandemic has accelerated this shift driving more care to the home in order to minimize the burden on hospitals and skilled nursing facilities while addressing COVID-19 concerns, and the momentum for the home as the site of care shows no sign of slowing down. As that happens, it’s important to get it right—to deliver care in the home that is not one-size-fits-all, that takes into consideration individual needs, both skilled and supportive, and that helps engage the patient, plan, provider, and caregiver. The value of personal care is further rec - ognized by CMS as we see the expansion of Medicare Advantage (MA) supplemental benefits which include in home support services. Now more MA plans than ever before offer personal care benefits, which gives those plans a secret weapon that supercharges the home care they offer to their members, making it more person - alized and effective. As a result, we will continue to see improved health outcomes, overall wellbeing, and satisfaction. About CareCentrix CareCentrix is the leader in health-at-home solutions and is committed to making the home the center of care. Managing care for 26 million members through a network of more than 8,000 provider locations, CareCentrix focuses on bringing members home to bring costs down. By drawing on insights from pro- prietary analytics, and connecting end-to-end clinical, social and caregiver services, CareCentrix eliminates unnecessary hospital readmissions, closes gaps in care, and reduces fragmentation. And ultimately, to help more people live, heal, and age at home. For more information, visit www.carecentrix.com. Recent research commissioned by CareCentrix shows that most Americans— 73 percent —prefer recovering at home instead of a medical facility. Their caregivers prefer home care over hospital or skilled nursing care as well, with 76 percent of caregivers favoring the home as the site of care. continues on next page »