As one of the fastest-growing sectors in the United States, home health care is teeming with activity—from acquisitions and partnerships to new leadership appointments and promotions. Here’s the latest news buzzing around the industry:
Home Health Care Management Appoints New President
Home Health Care Management has appointed Constance Morrison as the new president and CEO to lead its non-profit organizations Berks Visiting Nurse Association (VNA), VNA of Pottstown and Advantage Home Care.
Morrison joins HHCM after nearly 22 years in the U.S. Navy Reserve as a physician assistant, retiring in July 2011. Most recently, she was executive director of Home Care Maryland, a home health agency owned by Lifebridge Health and FutureCare Health and Management.
“On paper, her professional achievements alone prove that Constance is an effective clinical and fiscal steward for the organizations she serves,” Dr. Karen Thacker, HHCM Board chairperson and dean of college of professional programs and associate professor of nursing for Alvernia University in Pennsylvanie, said in a statement. “In person, her enthusiasm and ambition are contagious. She will be a phenomenal advocate and leader for moving Home Health Care Management and its family of companies forward for the next 100 years.”
As president and CEO, Morrison will focus primarily on Population Health Initiatives growth and technology for other HHCM companies.
During her tenure at Home Care Maryland, the agency saw significant growth, increasing from a regional provider with 75 patients to more than 600.
Morrison has also served as the executive director for home health and hospice at Good Samaritan Health System in Lebanon, Penn., where she managed home health services for eight Continuous Care Retirement Community and assisted living communities.
Morrison will continue her consulting hospital-based and for-profit agencies in the U.S. with Healthcare Concepts, Memphis, Tenn., which she has done for more than a decade.
Sesen Elder Care Brings Customized Tablets To Seniors
Sesen Elder Care has partnered with grandPad Inc. to provide customized tablets to older adults and their families in an effort to keep seniors living longer in their homes.
Sesen offers elder care education, management and advocacy as well as in-home care to seniors in the San Francisco Bay area. The partnership allows Sesen’s clients to take advantage of the tablets, which have been specially designed for seniors, providing a host of applications such as video calls, music, games and voice emails. The company’s professional care staff can also access a Sesen-specific app for care management and educational systems.
“Our tablet is part of the solution in keeping seniors safe, connected and better able to enjoy things in life which enhance their overall health and well-being while Sesen provides the education, care advocacy and in-home care often needed by our growing senior population,” said Scott Lien, CEO of grandPad, in a prepared statement.
Sesen has already distributed tablets to some clients and plans to support in-home care providers interested in using them. The two companies will continue to work together to expand the existing grandPad tablet’s capabilities to further focus on enhanced senior health and safety.
Medalogix Receives Business Grant for New Hires
Home health analytics company Medalogix has been awarded a $6,750 Metro small business business incentive grant for hiring 13 people to its Nasheville-based team, the Tennessean has reported.
Medalogix specializes in technology to better identify and serve those in need of home health and hospice care. The company’s Patient Outcome Management (POM) solutions help predict which patients may be at a higher risk of reshospitalization and other serious health risks.
The Metro Industrial Development Board approved the grant on Tuesday pending paperwork from Medalogix. The incentive provides Medalogix with $500 for 12 new non-veteran employees and $750 for one new veteran employee.
“The implementation of health car reform and what that is doing to payment models in the post-acute care space is really driving the need for our products and services,” Dan Hogan, Medalogix CEO and president, told the Tennessean.
Medalogix is only the second company to get approved for a hiring incentive grant, despite the program being two years old, the Tennessean has reported. The grant program was approved by the Metro Council in 2013, though few companies have applied to take advantage of the incentive.
Hogan told the Tennessean he plans to add six more employees by the end of the year to join his mostly Nasheville-based team of 24.
Home Care Assistance Name Semi-Finalist for ABBY Awards
Home Care Assistance, an in-home care provider, was named a semi-finalist for the 2015 Innovations in HealthcareSM ABBY Awards. The ABBYs recognize organizations with innovative approaches to reducing health care costs.
Home Care was selected for its patent-pending cognitive stimulation program, Cognitive Therapeutics Method, which aims to enhance mental acuity and delay onset and slow progression of symptoms of cognitive decline. The non-pharmaceutical approach is recognized for its innovation in brain health by the Adaptive Business Leaders Organization.
“We are honored to be recognized as a semi-finalist for this prestigious award,” Kathy Johnson, PhD, founder and CEO of Home Care Assistance, said in a statement. “Over 47 million people worldwide are currently living with dementia. The Cognitive Therapeutics Method is our proactive solution to a growing problem by offering individuals control over their long-term brain health.”
One winner from each of four award categories: medical technology, information technology, innovative approach and consumer empowerment. The finalists will compete on October 21, 2015 in the Awards Event in Long Beach, California.
Memorial Home Health Becomes CHI Memorial Health At Home
Memorial Home Health, a home health care provider that serves southeastern Tennessee, has changed its name to CHI Memorial Health At Home. The change signifies an alignment with CHI Memorial to continue caring for patients and communities with a greater coordination of services throughout the Memorial health care system.
“We’re excited to align with our local partner, CHI Memorial, as we continue to build healthy communities, offer the full continuum of care to every patient we serve, and provide care the way a loving family member would,” Dan Dietz, president and CEO of CHI Health at Home.
ICDLogic Partners With Thornberry to Solve ICD-10 Challenges
ICDLogic, a clinical documentation and ICD-10 compliant solutions company, announced it is collaborating with Thornberry Ltd., the maker of NDoc software, to provider CypherLink service inside NDoc. NDoc is a fully CCHIT Certified long term and post acute care electronic health records system designed for home care and hospice.
CypherLink was designed by clinicians, coders and CDI experts to quickly generate the most specific ICD-10 and ICD-9 codes based on clinical thinking. CypherLink is the EHR-integrated version of Cypher by ICDLogic, a web-based clinical documentation and ICD-10 workflow tool that is built for speed and expert clinical documentation guidance. The system reminds clinicians to document relevant underlying causes, additional factors, complications and comorbidities to accurately convey complexity of care.
“We spent 20 years building NDoc into the frontrunner of home health EHRs by understanding the unique needs of our customers, Tom Peth, Thornberry president and CEO, said in a statement. “ICDLogic has done the same by recognizing the ICD-10 is a clinical documentation challenge that begins with the provider, not the coders.”
Written by Amy Baxter
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