---

Extra, Extra! State Budget in the Final Countdown One Last Time - Take Action Now!!!

There's one more week left for final budget negotiations. Legislators need to hear from homecare agencies. Have you called, have you written? If you haven't or even if you have, take 5 minutes now to send a fax to your local legislators. We must keep the pressure on one last time! Encourage your staff to do the same.

Here's how - this will really just take 5 minutes if not less:

1. Go to the PHA Legislative Action Center.
2. Select the State Medicaid Rate Campaign.
3. Enter your contact information and select Edit/Print Your Letters.
4. Click on the graphic to download the letters to your legislators.
5. Select Open
6. Print the letters/faxes on your company letterhead (if appropriate).
7. Fax the letter to your legislators. (fax number is on the letter under their address)

 to get started.

For additional information on the Medicaid Rate campaign or for additional background materials, click here.

If you have any questions contact Eric Kiehl, Public Affairs Director at (800) 382-1211, ext. 26 or ekiehl@pahomecare.org.

---

PHA Featured in Wall Street Journal

Gas Price's Unlikely Victims
High Cost Crimps Travel Tied to Volunteer Programs, Support Services for Shut-Ins Among the hardest hit by the high price of gasoline is a seemingly unlikely group: People who don't drive. "The whole trend is toward keeping people out of nursing homes and hospitals and emergency rooms," says Vicki Hoak, executive director of the Pennsylvania Homecare Association, which represents 700 agencies providing home-health, hospice and nonmedical personal care. "But this type of health-care delivery is dramatically impacted by gasoline prices." Residents in rural areas are often hit hardest. - Wall Street Journal

---

Agencies Continue Wait for Final Homecare Regulations

In September 2007, PHA submitted final comments on the proposed homecare licensure regulations. Our comments focused primarily on burdensome changes in the training requirements and five new diseases/conditions, under Health Evaluations (§ 611.56) which would require annual screening.

According to the Dept. of Health, the final regualtions are expected to be submitted to the IRRC sometime in July or August of this year.

Please contact Eric Kiehl, PHA Public Affairs Director at ekiehl@pahomecare.org if you have any questions about the draft regulations or PHA's comments on the regulations.

Additional information on homecare agency and registry licensure is available on the PHA website, including past drafts of the regulations and links to other statutes referenced throughout the regulations. Click here to visit our comprehensive site.

---

State Needs to Remove Barriers to Homecare According to University of Pittsburgh Study

According to a University of Pittsburgh report, The State of the Homecare Industry in Pennsylvania: Bringing Care Home, Pennsylvania’s homecare industry cares for more than 190,000 clients each week – more than the total number of licensed beds in all the hospitals and nursing homes in the state. “But until personal care in the home is paid for by Medicaid for all eligible Pennsylvanians as it is for nursing home care, Pennsylvania will continue to struggle to gain a balanced long-term care system,” the report’s authors said.

Vicki Hoak, Executive Director of the The Pennsylvania Homecare Association (PHA) which commissioned the report noted that, “This report acknowledges this industry’s efforts to accommodate consumers’ preference to have care and support brought to them – in their homes.”  Click here for a copy of the report. Click here for a copy of the press release.

---

Homecare Operations Manual Available