Maine Home Care and Hospice Providers and Nurses Head to Nation’s Capitol to Fight for the Right of Every American to be Cared for in Their Home
Augusta, ME, March 24, 2011 --(PR.com)-- Home care and hospice providers from around the State will join hundreds of colleagues in Washington D.C. to keep the fight alive for the critical, high-value, high-quality care that is delivered every day to some of the nation’s most vulnerable individuals.
The Home Care & Hospice Alliance of Maine is taking part in the annual March on Washington & Law Symposium Conference hosted by the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC), March 27 through March 30 at the Renaissance Mayflower Hotel in DC. The event will address current hot topics in health care legislation, home health, hospice, regulatory matters, and technology and allow attendees to hear from more than 50 speakers, including senior political analyst for CNN, David Gergen and former Director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Julie Gerberding.
Recently, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) issued a report recommending Congress impose a new co-payment obligation on Medicare home health patients and that provider payment rates be cut in several ways starting in 2012 and thereafter. Alliance Board President and Finance Director at HealthReach HomeCare & Hospice Greg Pizzo stated that “If Congress were to adopt MedPAC’s recommendations, seniors and disabled Mainers would suffer, and costs would rise for patients, families, and the Medicare program.” Members of the Alliance plan to urge Congress and the administration to reject both the extended 2012 funding reduction and the requirement that seniors pay out of pocket.
Donna DeBlois, Executive Director of Kno-Wal-Lin Home Care and Hospice in Rockland, chairs the Alliance Government Affairs Committee and argues that home care is clinically effective, utilizing advanced technologies and helping to cost-effectively manage chronic diseases that account for 75 percent of our nation’s health care spending.
Citing a recent AARP study revealing that 75% of Americans 45+ surveyed want to stay in their home as long as possible, Executive Director Vicki Purgavie expresses concern for the number of baby boomers starting to turn 65 this year and the increased demand for quality home care providers to meet their needs. “We can continue to waste precious resources on institutional care or we can embrace proven solutions to meeting the health care needs of our growing senior population—home health care and hospice services,” said Purgavie.
The annual march comes at a time when $12 billion in Medicare cuts to the industry are already planned over the next few years even though home care and hospice is more cost effective, saving billions in Medicare expenditures. In 2009, the average home care visit cost $135.00 per day versus the average hospital visit which cost $1500 a day.
Attending this years’ March on Washington will be:
Donna DeBlois, Executive Director, Kno-Wal-Lin Home Care and Hospice, Rockland
Kevin Ware, Senior Manager, Berry Dunn McNeil & Parker, Bangor
Julie Shackley, President/CEO, Androscoggin Home Care & Hospice, Lewiston
Elaine Brady, President/CEO, SMMC Visiting Nurses, Kennebunk
Nona Boyink, President/CEO, HealthReach Network, Waterville
Susan Giguere, Owner & CEO, Care & Comfort, Waterville
Lisa Harvey-McPherson, V.P., Continuum of Care, Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems, Bangor
Helen Burlock, Dir. of Health Services, Community Health and Counseling Services, Bangor
Ruth Michaud, Assistance Dir. of Health Services, Community Health and Counseling Services, Bangor
Vicki Purgavie, Executive Director, Home Care & Hospice Alliance of Maine, Augusta
About the Home Care & Hospice Alliance of Maine
The Home Care & Hospice Alliance of Maine is a nonprofit organization that represents Maine’s home care and hospice agencies. The Alliance members offer a unified and informed voice in support of affordable, accessible, quality home care and hospice services throughout the State of Maine and in Congress. Along with its advocacy, the Alliance provides information to help its members provide the highest quality of care and is committed to excellence in every respect. To learn more, visit www.homecarealliance.org.
Media Contact: Vicki Purgavie, Executive Director
Home Care & Hospice Alliance of Maine
Phone: 207/623-0345 Cell: 207/232-5690
Email: vicki@homecarealliance.org
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The Home Care & Hospice Alliance of Maine is taking part in the annual March on Washington & Law Symposium Conference hosted by the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC), March 27 through March 30 at the Renaissance Mayflower Hotel in DC. The event will address current hot topics in health care legislation, home health, hospice, regulatory matters, and technology and allow attendees to hear from more than 50 speakers, including senior political analyst for CNN, David Gergen and former Director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Julie Gerberding.
Recently, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) issued a report recommending Congress impose a new co-payment obligation on Medicare home health patients and that provider payment rates be cut in several ways starting in 2012 and thereafter. Alliance Board President and Finance Director at HealthReach HomeCare & Hospice Greg Pizzo stated that “If Congress were to adopt MedPAC’s recommendations, seniors and disabled Mainers would suffer, and costs would rise for patients, families, and the Medicare program.” Members of the Alliance plan to urge Congress and the administration to reject both the extended 2012 funding reduction and the requirement that seniors pay out of pocket.
Donna DeBlois, Executive Director of Kno-Wal-Lin Home Care and Hospice in Rockland, chairs the Alliance Government Affairs Committee and argues that home care is clinically effective, utilizing advanced technologies and helping to cost-effectively manage chronic diseases that account for 75 percent of our nation’s health care spending.
Citing a recent AARP study revealing that 75% of Americans 45+ surveyed want to stay in their home as long as possible, Executive Director Vicki Purgavie expresses concern for the number of baby boomers starting to turn 65 this year and the increased demand for quality home care providers to meet their needs. “We can continue to waste precious resources on institutional care or we can embrace proven solutions to meeting the health care needs of our growing senior population—home health care and hospice services,” said Purgavie.
The annual march comes at a time when $12 billion in Medicare cuts to the industry are already planned over the next few years even though home care and hospice is more cost effective, saving billions in Medicare expenditures. In 2009, the average home care visit cost $135.00 per day versus the average hospital visit which cost $1500 a day.
Attending this years’ March on Washington will be:
Donna DeBlois, Executive Director, Kno-Wal-Lin Home Care and Hospice, Rockland
Kevin Ware, Senior Manager, Berry Dunn McNeil & Parker, Bangor
Julie Shackley, President/CEO, Androscoggin Home Care & Hospice, Lewiston
Elaine Brady, President/CEO, SMMC Visiting Nurses, Kennebunk
Nona Boyink, President/CEO, HealthReach Network, Waterville
Susan Giguere, Owner & CEO, Care & Comfort, Waterville
Lisa Harvey-McPherson, V.P., Continuum of Care, Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems, Bangor
Helen Burlock, Dir. of Health Services, Community Health and Counseling Services, Bangor
Ruth Michaud, Assistance Dir. of Health Services, Community Health and Counseling Services, Bangor
Vicki Purgavie, Executive Director, Home Care & Hospice Alliance of Maine, Augusta
About the Home Care & Hospice Alliance of Maine
The Home Care & Hospice Alliance of Maine is a nonprofit organization that represents Maine’s home care and hospice agencies. The Alliance members offer a unified and informed voice in support of affordable, accessible, quality home care and hospice services throughout the State of Maine and in Congress. Along with its advocacy, the Alliance provides information to help its members provide the highest quality of care and is committed to excellence in every respect. To learn more, visit www.homecarealliance.org.
Media Contact: Vicki Purgavie, Executive Director
Home Care & Hospice Alliance of Maine
Phone: 207/623-0345 Cell: 207/232-5690
Email: vicki@homecarealliance.org
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Contact
Home Care & Hospice Alliance of Maine
Vicki Purgavie
207/623-0345
www.homecarealliance.org
Vicki Purgavie
207/623-0345
www.homecarealliance.org
Contact
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