Health & Wellness

The Home Health Department within Memorial Health was recently recognized by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for achieving two different rankings for their work with and medical care of in-home patients.

Together the Memorial Home Health Team, in partnership with Alternate Solutions Homecare (ASH), were bestowed with 4.5 Stars in the Quality of Patient Care Star Rating, for measurements in the area of

• Process of care – how often the agency:
  • Initiated patient care in a timely manner
  • Provided patient/caregiver drug education on all medications
• Outcome of care – how often the patient:
  • Got better at walking or moving around
  • Got better at getting in and out of bed
  • Got better at bathing themselves
  • Was able to engage in activity with less pain
  • Experienced less shortness of breath
  • Required acute care hospitalization

CMS has created the Quality of Patient Care Star Rating to help provide transparency by comparing the quality of care delivered by various Home Health Agencies (HHAs) and assisting consumers in making informed decisions about where they would prefer to receive care. These rankings are calculated using each home health agency’s scores on the above quality measures, which are based on home health agency patient assessments and Medicare claims.

In addition, the Memorial Home Health program has achieved a Home Health Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HHCAHPS) rating of 5 Stars, exceeding the national average in all composite measures.

The difference in the two rankings is the HHCAHPS survey is a 34-item questionnaire and data collection methodology to measure patients’ perceptions of their skilled home care – so these rankings are based on the patients’ perspectives of their care.

Areas of focus are:

• Care of patients
• Communications between providers and patients
• Specific care issues

The survey also reports the results of two global or overall measures

• Overall rating of the Home Health Agency
• Would you recommend this agency to family and friends.

To learn more, contact Memorial Home Health at (937) 644-3211.