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Media Room
PHA Educates Direct Care Workforce, Family Caregivers with Free, Online Training
(July 12, 2010) – In Pennsylvania, where more than one in five people are age 60 and older, personal care and home health aides are one of the fastest growing occupations, and the workforce that will provide critical in-home care to help more Pennsylvanians age at home and remain independent.
Addressing the growing need to train and prepare this workforce, known as direct care workers, as well as family caregivers, the Pennsylvania Homecare Association (PHA), in partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Aging, Office of Long-term Living and Long Term Living Training Institute, has launched a series of free, online video courses that cover issues relevant to the training needs of individuals who provide in-home care and services for seniors and people with disabilities. Read more in PHA's news release.
PHA Recognizes 11 Homecare and Hospice Agencies Statewide for Best Practices
(May 27, 2010) – As Health Care Reform implementation begins and more emphasis is placed on quality-based reimbursement, the Pennsylvania Homecare Association (PHA) implemented a Best Practices program to recognize homecare and hospice agencies that have instituted quality improvement efforts.
PHA recently recognized 11 of its member agencies with its first-ever Best Practices in Homecare and Hospice Awards. The awards were presented by the PA Department of Health on May 13 during PHA’s Annual Conference and Exposition in Harrisburg.
Read more in PHA's news release.
New State Law Mandates Licensing of Homecare Agencies
(December 14, 2009) – After a nearly 15-year effort by the Pennsylvania Homecare Association (PHA), homecare agencies must now be licensed to operate in the Commonwealth. Governor Ed Rendell and the Department of Health made licensing of homecare agencies and registries mandatory with the publication of regulations in the December 12 Pennsylvania Bulletin. Homecare agencies and registries now have 60 days to file an application for license with the Department of Health.
According to PHA, the licensure legislation promotes consumer control and validates that homecare is a critical component of today’s health care system.
Read more in PHA's news release.
PHA Urges Governor to Finalize Homecare Regulations
(August 10, 2009) --In a letter delivered today to Governor Edward G. Rendell, the Pennsylvania Homecare Association (PHA) called for his immediate action to finalize regulations that would license some 600 homecare agencies. In 2006, the state legislature passed and the Governor signed Act 69 to license homecare agencies and homecare registries but has yet to finalize the regulations.
PHA Executive Director Vicki Hoak said while the industry has done a great job with self-regulation, standards for care must be in place and the Governor’s unwillingness to take action puts the safety of Pennsylvania seniors at risk. “The state licenses barbers, manicurists and ATV vehicles. Don’t our seniors deserve the same protections?” wrote Hoak.
Read the entire news release. Read PHA's letter to Governor Rendell.
People With Disabilities and Older Pennsylvanians Question
Expense, Effectiveness of Proposed Council
(May 13, 2009) -- Opponents of the Rendell Administration’s proposed state-run homecare agency, known as the Consumer Workforce Council, today urged lawmakers to focus their attention on strengthening the existing homecare system instead of introducing another layer of bureaucracy. Two House Committees – Aging & Older Adult Services and Labor Relations – heard testimony from administration officials as well as proponents and opponents of the Council including members of the Coalition for R.E.A.L. Home and Community-Based Services in Pennsylvania.
Homecare agency owner Joe Bakey of Delaware County questioned the funding sources of a Consumer Workforce Council. “There doesn’t seem to be a business plan, only vague details and an estimated start-up cost of $500,000,” said Bakey. “The state has a responsibility to taxpayers to demonstrate the full financial implications of the proposal. Before the state gets into the homecare business, a lot of questions must be answered.”
Read the entire news release.
People with Disabilities and Older Pennsylvanians Urge Lawmakers to Scrutinize Consumer Workforce Council
Legislative oversight is needed to learn the true cost and impact of the CWC
(April 27, 2009) -- People with disabilities and older Pennsylvanians, who employ homecare workers to assist them with daily living, today urged the General Assembly to require legislative oversight of the proposed Consumer Workforce Council (CWC). Members of the R.E.A.L. Coalition said lawmakers need to determine the cost of creating a new state-run homecare agency and how it could adversely impact people who employ homecare attendants.
“We need to know exactly how much this new bureaucracy will cost. The more money spent to create a state-run agency, the less money there is for people who actually need the services,” said Keith Williams, a community organizer for the Northeast PA Center for Independent Living, who has employed attendants since 1988.
Read the entire news release.
Consumer Workforce Council Threatens Authority and Choice
(April 1, 2009) -- People with disabilities and older Pennsylvanians who employ homecare workers are concerned about a proposal to create a state-run homecare agency, the Consumer Workforce Council (CWC), which hurts their ability to choose the caregiver they want and creates mandates on how homecare workers are managed.
Keith Williams of Scranton, a community organizer for the Northeast PA Center for Independent Living who has been employing his own attendants since 1988, joined other members of the disability community who today presented their opposition to the Council during the Statewide Independent Living Council's Annual Meeting in Harrisburg.
"This is an unwanted government intrusion that affects my ability to choose and manage my homecare workers,” said Williams, who testified on behalf of the Coalition of R.E.A.L. Home and Community-Based Services in Pennsylvania, of which PHA is a member.
Read the R.E.A.L. Coalition's news release and fact sheet in opposition to the CWC.
Stimulus Package Brings Little Comfort to Homecare & Hospice
(February 25, 2009) -- According to the Pennsylvania Homecare Association (PHA), the most preferred and cost-effective way to deliver health care - in the home - is once again overlooked by Congress as a temporary moratorium on cuts to hospice payments is tempered by omission of a significant Medicare reimbursement differential for home care providers in rural areas.
A "5% Rural Add On," did not make it into the stimulus bill. The "add on" is a Medicare reimbursement differential to offset the high cost of caring for patients in rural areas, where agencies are financially burdened by higher transportation costs. In some cases, transportation accounts for one out of every seven dollars spent.
PHA fears agencies in rural areas that have to absorb higher costs may be forced to reduce frequency of service.
Read the entire news release.
REAL Coalition Express Concerns with
Proposed Consumer Workforce Council
Council Could Require Workers to Join State-funded Homecare Agency
(November 20, 2008) -- A coalition of home and community-based providers testified today at a hearing of the House Republican Policy Committee to express concerns about a proposal that could require workers who provide in-home care to seniors and individuals with disabilities to join a state-funded homecare registry called the Consumer Workforce Council.
“We commend Rep. Mike Turzai, Rep. Mauree Gingrich and the House Republican Policy Committee for holding this hearing to learn about the growing challenges facing the homecare workforce and the concerns that many consumers and providers have in the creation of the Consumer Workforce Council,” said Vicki Hoak, executive director of the Pennsylvania Homecare Association, whose organization is a member of the Coalition for REAL (Respected, Empowered, Accessible and Loyal) Home and Community-Based Services.
“Having what is in essence a state-operated homecare agency would be redundant and a very unnecessary expense for Pennsylvania taxpayers. There is already an expansive home and community-based provider network in the commonwealth. There are nearly 800 homecare agencies caring for thousands of our elderly and individuals with disabilities every day.”
Click here for a copy of the news release. Click here for a copy of Vicki Hoak's testimony.
Pennsylvania Homecare Association Responds to Misinformation from Nursing Home Advocacy Group
The Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Homecare Association (PHA) said today that a claim by nursing home interests that home health care is draining resources from nursing homes is “factually false and destructive to broad-based efforts to make limited public dollars go further in providing medical and health services for all Pennsylvanians.”
Vicki Hoak, the PHA director, said, “The nursing home industry has seen its reimbursement rates climb 22 percent in just the past five years. By contrast, home health care providers have not seen an increase in reimbursement rates for four years. Before that increase, the reimbursement rate had been stagnant for thirteen years.”
Click here for a copy of the news release.
Skyrocketing Fuel Prices Force Budget Crunch for Many Home Health Caregivers
In 2003, the last time the Commonwealth increased its reimbursement to home health care providers, gasoline was selling for $1.35 a gallon. Today, with gasoline at $3.30 and more in many parts of Pennsylvania, homecare agencies are still getting the same $77 per home visit and eating the skyrocketing cost of fuel or cutting corners in other areas. And, according to the Pennsylvania Homecare Association, providers are fresh out of corners to cut.
Homecare has been hailed by Gov. Edward G. Rendell as the “next big thing” to keep down the costs of health care by providing quality service, personal attention, and nursing skills without the overhead of large bricks-and-mortar institutions. But critical funding has not yet followed favorable reviews. The Commonwealth has increased the payment for home health care Medicaid recipients just once in the past 16 years. The current Medicaid reimbursement rate is $77, while the actual average cost per home visit according to a two-year-old study -- is $118, a $41 loss every time a nurse provides care to a patient. Record high gasoline prices have made the gap even wider.
Click here for a copy of the news release.
Home Healthcare Reimbursement Freeze is Barrier to Commonwealth Goal of Advancing Alternative Care
A freeze on the state’s reimbursement rate for home health care for the fifth straight year is raising the barrier to Gov. Ed Rendell’s desire to encourage alternatives to hospital and nursing home care, the head of the PA Homecare Association (PHA) said today.
The Commonwealth has increased the payment for home health care Medicaid recipients just once in the past 16 years. The current Medicaid reimbursement rate is $77, while the actual average cost per home visit is $118 – a $41 loss every time a nurse provides care to a patient.
The Pennsylvania Homecare Association is seeking a $10 million increase in the state’s 2008-09 budget allocation to increase the Medicaid reimbursement to $100 per visit for skilled services. The increase will help offset the cost of nursing care, rising gasoline prices, and workers’ compensation premiums for home health agencies. Last year alone, Pennsylvania home health agencies traveled more than 210 million miles and spent an additional $6.7 million in 2007 to help cover the rising gasoline costs.
“A raise in the reimbursement rate will help us bring in more nurses, and also provide more people with the comfort of being treated in their own home,” said Vicki Hoak, Pennsylvania Homecare Association executive director. “People who use home health care have a lower readmission rate to the hospital, and it costs less to provide home health care than to have a person remain in an inpatient facility.”
Click here for a copy of the news release.
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