Lee-Ann Quinn with son Zach. (PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO)
My name is Zach Quinn and in many ways, I’m similar to other 22-year-olds that are around me: I love board games, video games, and movies. I love my family—even though my three little sisters get on my nerves sometimes.
But I’m very different from just about every other 22-year-old I know in one big way: I have Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), and I rely on home health care services for nearly all of my daily activities. These nursing and certified nursing assistant (CNA) services allow me to be as independent as possible—and allow me to live, in many ways, like my non-medically complex peers.
DMD is a degenerative neuro-muscular disease that causes the muscles in the body to weaken. DMD led to the loss of my ability to walk, and my needing a wheelchair. It has also led to the loss of lung function, which required me getting a trach and vent to breathe for me. I need to be medically monitored to stay independent, which is why I rely on home care in my daily life.
I wanted to write this blog post as a way to show the wider world that being disabled doesn’t make me—and others like me—so different, as long as we have the proper care in place.Home care allows me to maintain my independence. It takes a lot for me to do that, but it is worth it. I need nurses and CNAs to get ready every day. They help me get washed and dressed so I can get up in my wheelchair and start my day without my parents’ help. This makes it so I can hang out with my family, go out in my community, and be myself. I appreciate the life I have because of the care I receive from my nurses and CNAs, and it has changed my life.
Zach with his siblings and home care nurse, Jeff.
I truly believe that home care is the future of healthcare, and that so many more people could benefit from it if it was more readily accessible. Home care keeps disabled adults and seniors out of nursing homes and other facilities, and it keeps medically-complex children and adults like me independent in our communities. From a wider scope, this allows many people to grow up at home, go to school, contribute to the economy, and contribute to the community. Also, by keeping people out of costly places like ERs, hospitals, and long-term rehab and nursing facilities, it saves state budgets’ and families’ money.
I truly believe that home care is the future of healthcare, and that so many more people could benefit from it if it was more readily accessible.
Another purpose of this blog post is to show what happens when things fall through. There is a huge gap in people’s ability to access home care, even if they and their families prefer to be at home. I’m no exception. I have had great nurses and CNAs leave the home care industry, which has led to my parents having to call out of work. They usually leave for better paying jobs—which is great for them, and often necessary so that they can support their own families. But it really affects me—it makes my care unpredictable for me and my parents, and makes it more difficult for them to count on care and know that they can sleep and work normally.
It also makes it a “revolving door” of caregivers in many ways. This has its own layer of problems, but in the end, the best way to prevent this is to ensure that caregivers like nurses and CNAs can make a sustainable wage and living in home care. I studied Digital Media in high school, and I wanted to pursue a career in video game design. There are so many individuals in RI and across the US and the world who are able to live good lives, get jobs, and provide to the economy and community as long as good home care coverage is available. I don’t belong in a nursing home—I belong in my own home, and in a place where I can design video games!
Zach and family with Rep. Julie Casimiro during a home visit a few years ago.
But I can’t accomplish any of this without home care. We need to make sure that enough people want to work in home care—that it is a rewarding and compassionate career path. In my home state of Rhode Island, and in nearly every other state in the US, professional caregivers like nurses, CNAs, and home health aides are paid less than their counterparts in other settings—like hospitals. This keeps institutional care as more readily accessible to people who need long-term support. The federal government and state legislators must make sure that home care is a viable career by funding home care programs better. This would allow nurses, aides, and other caregivers to be paid a fairer wage—and would allow more of the workforce to enter home care.
There will be a long time before we can say that home care is as accessible as care in other places. But this is one way to start.
After all, isn’t celebrating individual independence a huge and important part of our collective American culture?
In honor of Patient Recognition Week, Hearts for Home Care sends a warm and heartfelt thank you to the many patients and families that advocate every day!
Hearts for Home Care cannot be effective in changing states’ policies and program funding mechanisms without your stories. When those who are affected by home care—clients, their families, and their caregivers—share unique and personal stories, it creates real change. These stories illustrate to legislators how impactful home care is to their constituents, and why it is important that they create new laws and amend existing ones to maximize access to care for residents who need it most.
Advocating for yourself or for a loved one is rewarding. Sharing your voice can mean the difference between a legislator being unaware of home care’s impact, to their proactive support of home care. In honor of Patient Recognition Week, below are several real life examples of clients in advocacy action. Home care patients and families make all the difference. Thank you for all you do!
Delaware mom Kateri Morton has advocated for her son Joey in many ways, from being featured on local news station WMDT (47 ABC) to share how low state Medicaid rates have affected her ability to get all of Joey’s skilled nursing hours covered—to organizing a group of active moms to testify at upcoming state hearings on the issue! Not only have legislators heard her voice loud and clear, but now other DE moms have heard her and thereby gained the confidence needed to share their stories too.
Kateri’s advocacy on behalf of her son Joey has enabled state decision makers to hear about the importance of in-home nursing through many mediums—including print and broadcast media.
Durham, North Carolina’s Mr. Mendenhall is a 90-year-old armed service Veteran with Dementia. Due to his diagnosis and the accompanying physical limitations, he needs constant supervision and support—including assistance with everyday activities, such as dressing, eating, bathing, toileting, and moving around. Mr. Mendenhall lives at home with his wife, Margarite, of more than 50 years. She does her best to take care of her husband, despite her own medical challenges and limitations. While they both are frail, they are happy to be at home and together. They are able to stay at home through the home health aide services that he receives from his home health aide, Kashina, who comes in two hours per day to care for Mr. Mendenhall. Her caregiving services enables Mr. Mendenhall to remain as mobile as possible, as well as remain in his community.
Mr. Mendenhall (left) meets NC Rep. Hawkins while his wife looks on. They want to do what they can in order to show state and federal lawmakers how important home care is.
While you’d think that their advocacy work is limited, the couple recently participated in a home visit in which NC Rep. Zack Hawkins. This enabled Rep. Hawkins to see firsthand how home health aides help keep constituents costly and potentially infectious facilities such as hospitals and nursing homes. After Rep. Hawkins’s visit, he helped the family connect with the VA to address challenges they were facing. Rep. Hawkins said, “As a lawmaker, it is important we support seniors. To ensure they can live a full life at home. Care at home is an important option, less expensive, and where people want to be.”
LaToya Martin is a super-mom who fearlessly advocates for her son Massiah. When she wrote an opinion piece for the Delaware Post, her powerful message led to many state legislators learning about how home care affects real people across the state. That message resonated not only with lawmakers, but also with moms and home care advocates from all parts of the US.Scary Mommy—one of the largest online resources for moms—even reshared her piece to the hundreds of thousands of readers that regularly access their site!
Mark Steidl is a disability rights advocate from PA to DC and beyond!
Mark Steidl of Pittsburgh, PA doesn’t let communication challenges stop him from sharing his voice. Diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, he uses a Dynavox to communicate the importance of home care and the impact of his home health aides with his legislators! Mark and his mother travel to the state capitol in Harrisburg, and to Washington, D.C. at least once a year to take part in Hearts for Home Care lobby days—days in which dozens of advocates gather to make meetings with legislators that will be voting on home care-specific legislation.
In a conversation with Mark about his advocacy work, he said, “If I had been born in 1965 instead of 1995, my parents might have been told to send me to an institution instead of raising me at home with all the support I need. Times have really changed. Advocacy and new ways of thinking have created those changes. But much more needs to be done and much more can be done. We have to keep advocating for the changes and the opportunities we want.”
NJ mom Dana Insley testifies at a public hearing in Trenton.
Dana (second from right) is pictured with her family, including daughter Abi (second from left in white & pink)
New Jersey mom Dana Insley steps up to the plate for any opportunity to advocate on behalf of her beloved daughter, Abi. After 2+ years of fighting, Dana and her husband adopted Abi, who needs skilled home nursing to be able to live a safe, healthy life alongside her siblings and loved ones at home. When she isn’t taking care of her family, Dana thinks of many ways to advocate. She has testified at many state hearings for increased home care funding, regularly writesopinion pieces to share with news sources and legislators, and always makes time to share her family’s home care experience with the public. Abi didn’t only get a second chance at life, but she also got a mom whose voice advocates on behalf of all New Jersey children and families with special needs.
This is a mere glimpse into the wide world of patient advocacy. Thank you to the many, many home care clients and families that take the time to advocate in a variety of ways. From a brief video meeting with a legislator, to a home visit with your medically-fragile loved one, to writing to your local paper, sharing your story helps lawmakers see the importance of in-home care, and empowers you to act as a voice for the many who are unable to advocate for themselves. We recognize you and appreciate you. To get involved in advocacy in your community, contact advocacy@bayada.com today!
BAYADA client Jim Davies (center, seated) hosted a home visit with Assemblyman Benson (upper left)
When BAYADA Home Health Care client Jim Davies received a notice in the mail last year that his insurance would be transitioning to another agency, he tried not to panic. After all, the letter stated there would be no change, he would still receive coverage for his home health care nursing and personal care home health aide services.
However, Jim was not convinced. The 66-year-old, who
suffered a spinal cord injury as a result of a diving accident 20 years ago, is
nearly paralyzed from the neck down. He relies on his nurses for his complex
medical needs, which include wound care, range of motion exercises, mechanical
transfers to and from bed, medication administration, catheter care, and care
to prevent a serious complication called autonomic dysreflexia, which can lead
to seizures, stroke, or even death.
As a former sheriff and local fire commissioner, Jim is used
to working collaboratively with others to make things happen. That’s why he
immediately called a case manager at the insurance company, who reiterated what
was explained in the letter, his home health care coverage would not change.
Coverage
denied
Fast forward
to the end of the year when Jim received another letter, this time from the new
insurance company. Despite written and verbal assurance that his coverage would
not change, the new company denied his home health care services, insisting Jim
was stable enough and no longer needed nursing care.
Jim reached out to his BAYADA Mercer County Adults (MCA) office Director Meghan Hansen and Clinical Manager Sharon Wheelock who appealed the decision on his behalf, to no avail. That’s when they turned to BAYADA Government Affairs Area Director Louise Lindenmeier, who suggested Jim reach out to New Jersey Assemblyman Daniel Benson, a member of the state Health and Senior Services Committee.
Legislative
home visit leads to positive change
“When I
called Assemblyman Benson’s office, I wasn’t sure what the response was going
to be, but I was pleasantly surprised,” says Jim. “The assemblyman made me feel
that as his constituent, my problem was a major concern, and he owned it.”
Assemblyman
Benson visited Jim and his wife of 40 years Rosemary at their home to witness,
first-hand, the critical role home care nurses play in Jim’s health and
well-being. During the visit, Assemblyman Benson also learned about the
catastrophic medical consequences of stopping Jim’s nursing care and BAYADA’s
unsuccessful efforts to appeal the denial from the insurance company.
Following the visit with Jim, Assemblyman Benson jumped into action. He joined BAYADA Managed Care (MCO) Director Pamela Soni, BAYADA Area Director for Pediatrics Managed Care (MCP) Stephanie Perna, and Louise for a meeting with the NJ Department of Banking and Insurance to discuss Jim’s case. In addition, he personally contacted the insurance company to negotiate the contract, resulting in a reversal of the denial. Thanks to his efforts, the issue was resolved within two weeks.
“It is
really important to educate politicians on how insurance changes can impact
their constituents,” says Jim, who encourages others in similar situations to
reach out to legislators who may be more than willing to help. “Assemblyman
Benson should be recognized for his prompt and professional response to my
needs.”
Assemblyman
Benson considered it a privilege to play a role in helping Jim. “It was my
honor to work with Mr. Davies to ensure that he received the care he needs and
deserves,” he says. “As legislators, it is our sworn duty to represent our
constituents, and that means lending our assistance whenever possible, whether
by simply cutting through red tape or elevating a situation to a higher level
so that it is promptly addressed. I would encourage those in need to reach out
to their elected representatives to learn what they can do for them.”
Want to Help Make a Difference: Register
for Hearts for Home Care
Whether you can give a minute, an hour, or a day, there are many ways to get involved in advocacy. It can be as simple as sending a pre-written email to your local legislators, hosting a legislator in your home, or attending an event at a legislator’s office or your state capitol.To learn more, consider becoming a “Heart for Home Care” advocate. It only takes five minutes to register at heartsforhomecare.com. You’ll receive email updates about current issues and opportunities to make your voice heart.
BAYADA staff and clients were instrumental in gaining public and legislative awareness on home care issues in Rhode Island. Here, client Brandon Stone (right) is pictured with mom Sherry (lower left) and nurse Jessica (center)
In 2019, GAO and industry advocacy led to the successful renewal of the Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) of 1.9% for Medicaid reimbursement rates for Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) and Skilled Nursing services. This adds an additional $232,941 to BAYADA’s annual revenue, and $26,535 to the company’s annual operating surplus.
The first-in-the-nation COLA adjustment was included in 2018 state legislation as a result of the advocacy efforts of GAO, client and employee Ambassadors and advocates, and Rhode Island industry partners, as well as a public affairs campaign that led to local print and broadcast media coverage on the need for regular rate reviews to ensure that reimbursements for home care services were adjusted annually to keep up with real costs of living and conducting business.
By continuing to advocate for the renewal of the COLA increase every year, then Rhode Island service offices will be able to—at their discretion—increase field staff wages, thereby increasing caregiver recruitment and retention rates and enabling clients to experience less missed shifts.
BREAKING:Due to GAO, BAYADA, and industry advocacy, RI Governor Raimondo has already proposed a 5.9% increase for skilled nursing and CNA services in the 2020-2021 budget! If successfully passed through both chambers in the state house, effective July 1, 2020, this increase will add $219,791 to BAYADA’s yearly revenue, and $65,937 to BAYADA’s annual operating surplus.
Thank you to our RI staff and clients for your continued commitment to advocacy on behalf of all of Rhode Island’s caregivers, and the medically fragile and vulnerable populations!
North Carolina advocate Ari A. during a trip to Washington, D.C.
We often think of advocacy as sharing our stories, our challenges, and asking for legislative support in addressing those challenges. But advocacy is much more multi-faceted: It’s about building relationships by cultivating legislative connections so that they become home care supporters for life, and it’s certainly about saying Thank You when the support pays off by resulting in a law or policy that is beneficial to the individual and to the home care community at-large.
Below, find a Thank You note written by North Carolina home care recipient and Hearts for Home Care advocate Ari A. Ari has been able to thrive and stay independent at home because of the skilled nursing services he receives under North Carolina’s Medicaid program. Recently, he wrote to Medicaid staff to thank them for resolving a critical issue that enabled him to continue these services. Medicaid staff are committed to improving health and well-being of North Carolinians, and their transactions are often behind the scenes and receive little recognition. Hearts for Home Care applauds Medicaid staff across the country for their commitment to helping individuals stay at home, and we applaud Ari for his sincere thankfulness of their work.
To All I Work with in NC DHHS and Medicaid,
Some of you I’ve known for years and some a short time. Through it all, the one and most important factor that has been consistent has been the capacity to care. Time and time again over the years I have had to get battle ready in order to keep my life-saving services. However, instead having to scale cold-hard hearts, impenetrable like a fortress, you invited me into your hearts. You consistently agreed to provide for my intensive care in my home instead of a medical facility; which essentially would have been leaving me out in the cold to die. Instead of fighting me you have been my allies, always being there for me when I needed you the most.
These truths became ever more apparent a couple weeks ago. For the past two years, my mom and I have been getting things ready to transfer my medications, physical therapy, and supplies to Medicare without de-stabilizing my PDN services under Medicaid. It has been a mind numbing, complicated process. We have been hyper-vigilant not to miss any details that could easily be overlooked. We recently turned in sensitive paperwork to the Department of Social Services (DSS) well before the deadline. On November 30 we spoke with the Director of Policy and Procedures for Medicaid Sandy Terrell about how to safeguard my PDN even more during the transition. Ms. Terrell told Saunja Wilson from PDN to double check if everything was in order by the end of the month. Thank God, Ms. Wilson decided to check right away. The sensitive paperwork we emailed to DSS was present, but hadn’t been pulled up yet even though my caseworker had the paperwork in her email. One of the Supervisors at DSS had also confirmed that we had it turned in. We were told email or fax was equally acceptable for documentation.
The breakdown was that this particular caseworker did not use her email for business and preferred to have documents faxed to her. My caseworker tried to alleviate a little bit of pressure off my mom and I by telling us to ignore the ‘Termination of Medicaid Services’ notice in the mail. Yet, the absolute terror that rose up from the pits of our stomachs when we received the notice was totally indescribable! Despite the paperwork being directly faxed to my caseworker, we still waited for the approval. Thankfully over a week later, the situation was taken over by one of the Supervisors at DSS. She rose to the occasion and kindly brought the matter to a close so that my mom and I could peacefully go on with our lives.
Frighteningly, the bottom line is that I am not exaggerating when I say my life would have been ‘Terminated’ if Saunja Wilson from PDN hadn’t been ‘quick on the draw’ to find the error. If Ms. Wilson had waited to check just two or three days later, I wouldn’t have been able to disregard the Termination notice and my life would have been ruined! I say again, Thank God for my champions in NC government. You always rises up out of the mist to do a heroic save! This is what the rest of America could be and should be as far as healthcare policy.
Frighteningly, the bottom line is that I am not exaggerating when I say my life would have been ‘Terminated’ if Saunja Wilson from PDN hadn’t been ‘quick on the draw’ to find the error. If Ms. Wilson had waited to check just two or three days later, I wouldn’t have been able to disregard the Termination notice and my life would have been ruined! I say again, Thank God for my champions in NC government. You always rises up out of the mist to do a heroic save! This is what the rest of America could be and should be as far as healthcare policy.
All of you keep doing a spectacular job and always keep your focus on the people you serve instead of the numbers, especially as NC transitions to Managed Care. If you ever need my help just let me know anytime!
BAYADA’s Government Affairs Office (GAO) staff continue to push forward on our goals in our major states and in Washington, DC. We’ve worked hard to leverage our staff, clients’ and families’ voices to elected officials and legislative leaders, and we are excited to keep moving ahead for Medicaid rate increases, better policies, and more staff and client engagement throughout 2019. Below, read about our recent accomplishments and upcoming goals.
Federal
2018 Major Accomplishment – In 2018, BAYADA’s Government Affairs Office expanded resources to support federal affairs and home health. We recently rejoined the National Association for Homecare & Hospice (NAHC) and expanded our involvement in national associations. We also have increased our advocacy efforts in Washington D.C. as David Totaro and Lindsey Wright are now registered as federal lobbyists and continue to meet with legislators on Capitol Hill.
2019
Major Goal – At the
federal level, our major goal is to pass legislation that counteracts the
Patient Driven Groupings Model (PDGM). PDGM is the new Home Health Prospective
Payment System CMS finalized on October 31, 2018. While PDGM has some positive
effects on the home care industry, we seek to counteract the portion of the
rule that will decrease Medicare payments to home health providers by 6.42%
based on the use of “behavioral assumptions” beginning January 2020.
Impact: Successful passage of one of the three bills (H.R. 6932/S. 3458; S.3545) that have been introduced into Congress would counteract the “behavioral assumptions” by requiring Medicare to implement adjustments to reimbursement rates only after improper behavioral actions by home health agencies are actually observed affecting Medicare spending rather than assuming those improper activities will occur. Successful passage of any of these bills as currently written would ensure greater stability in the new payment model, thus ensuring the sustainability of BAYADA’s Home Health offices and ensuring that Medicare clients would not see a disruption or cancellation in services.
Delaware
2018
Major Accomplishment –
In Delaware, we were successful in
building the momentum necessary to bring home a rate increase in 2019. GAO
engaged office and field staff in advocacy and saw seven BAYADA employees
provide testimony to the Joint Finance Committee. We also educated legislators
in both chambers including committee chairs and leadership in both
Chambers.
2019 Major Goal – Our major goal in Delaware is to increase Medicaid Reimbursement for RNs and LPNs by 21.4%.
Impact: Delaware clients currently see 6.8% of prescribed hours go unserved and another 7.5% of hours where the nurse is working overtime, both up from the year before. We anticipate that this increase will enable BAYADA and other providers to recruit and retain the skilled nurses needed to meet the demand and fill the gaps needed to remedy both the missed shift rate and the overtime hours served.
Georgia
2018 Major Accomplishment – 2018 was the first year that Georgia saw a
full-time GAO presence. Our advocacy efforts secured us a more than 6% rate
increase for private duty nursing (PDN) services under the Georgia Pediatric
Program (GAPP) waiver.
Impact: The PDN rate hike increased reimbursement rates for RN services by 6.3% and for LPN services by 6.5%, effective July 2018. This increase allows BAYADA to recruit and retain the nurses necessary to provide Georgians across the state with the services they need to remain at home with their families.
2019 Major Goal – In 2019, our major goal in Georgia is to build
upon our 2018 accomplishment and add $3 to both the RN and LPN reimbursement
rate for private duty nursing (PDN) services under the Georgia Pediatric
Program (GAPP) waiver.
Impact: This increase would allow BAYADA to better recruit and retain the skilled nurses that we need to keep up with the demand in Georgia.
Maryland
2018
Major Accomplishment
– In Maryland, we successfully passed
legislation to mandate a Governor-appointed task force charged with looking
into Maryland families’ access to home health care. At the behest of the task
force, the Maryland Department of Health revealed data showing that on average,
17% of prescribed skilled home nursing hours go unserved.
Impact: The successful creation of this task force and the revealed data were the first steps we needed to accomplish before we could begin to advocate for our 2019 goal: Increasing reimbursement rates for LPN skilled nursing services by 24.6%. If achieved, BAYADA would be able to deliver pediatric skilled nursing services to the many families in Maryland that are currently struggling to access the care they are authorized for.
2019 Major Goal – Increase Medicaid LPN rate a further 24.6%.
Impact: If achieved, this rate increase would open the market to enable BAYADA to deliver pediatric skilled nursing services to the many families in Maryland that are currently struggling to access the care they are authorized for. We anticipate that this increase will enable BAYADA and other providers to recruit and retain the LPNs needed to meet the demand, and that the 17% missed shift rate would decrease as families access more of the hours they need.
New Jersey
2018 Major Accomplishment 1 – In New Jersey, we were able to secure a 9% rate increase for the
state’s personal care assistance (PCA) program. Additionally, our advocacy
efforts resulted in a “rate floor” bill, which ensures MCOs cannot reimburse
providers at a lower rate than mandated by the state.
Impact: This increase ensures that BAYADA can continue to serve current clients without fear of disruption by MCOs’ varied reimbursement practices and better ensures the sustainability of the state’s PCA program. A sustainable program will allow BAYADA offices to take on new clients, thus enabling more families across the state to access the personal care services they deserve.
2018 Major Accomplishment 2 – Our advocacy efforts resulted in the passage of the “Parking Placard Bill,” which will allow nurses, therapists and aides to park on restricted street parking, municipal lots and overtime at meters to render home care when it is implemented in April 2020.
2019
Major Goal –
In 2019, our major goal in New Jersey is to increase
the Private Duty Nursing (PDN) fee-for-service rate for both RNs and LPNs by
$10 per hour.
Impact: If achieved, this increase will allow BAYADA to compete for a larger share of the state’s RNs and LPNs that are currently attracted to hospital and institutional settings where wages tend to be higher. As we gain the proper number of nurses to meet the demand, we will also likely see a decrease in missed shifts.
New York
2019 Major Goal 1 – In New York, our goal is to achieve the “Approved Vendor” status
from the New York City Department of Education (NYC DOE). This will enable
BAYADA to provide pediatric nursing services in the New York City schools.
Impact: If BAYADA achieves approved vendor status, we will be able to provide in-school care to children whose parents would like a BAYADA nurse to accompany their child to school but currently cannot do so. The ability for BAYADA nurses to work with a child at home and at school is critical to providing continuity of care for medically fragile children and their families.
2019 Major Goal 2 – Our second major goal is to pass legislation to increase New York’s Medicaid fee-for-service private duty nursing (PDN) reimbursement rates by at least $20 per hour.
Impact: If we succeed in generating an increase to the PDN fee-for-service rate, BAYADA will be better able to recruit and retain the high-quality nurses needed to provide skilled care for medically fragile individuals in New York. Increases will ensure that home care providers can adequately compete with other settings and surrounding states and Medicaid beneficiaries can continue to access home care services.
North Carolina
2018 Major Accomplishment – During this two-year budget cycle, our
advocacy efforts resulted in rate increases in three Medicaid programs:
Personal Care Services (PCS), Community Alternatives Program for Children
(CAP-C) effective July 2018, and CAP for Disabled Adults (CAP-DA) effective
January 2019.
Impact: This increase allows for us to continue to provide in-home aide services to 1,244 medically fragile children, disabled adults, and seniors across North Carolina who need care, and enables us to create jobs in the community while keeping families together in their homes.
2019 Major Goal 1 – The first major goal for the upcoming two-year budget cycle is to secure a $5.40 increase for nursing under Medicaid’s Private Duty Nursing (PDN) Program.
Impact: This nursing increase will allow BAYADA to recognize our staff with better compensation across North Carolina and help us better hire and retain the compassionate, high-quality staff that our clients and their families deserve.
2019 Major Goal 2 – The second major goal for the upcoming two-year budget cycle is to secure a further $1.40 increase for aide services under Medicaid’s Personal Care Services (PCS) Program, the Community Alternatives Program for Disabled Adults (CAP-DA) and CAP for Children (CAP-C).
Impact: This aide increase will allow BAYADA to recognize our staff with better compensation across North Carolina and help us better hire and retain the compassionate, high-quality staff that our clients and their families deserve.
Pennsylvania
2018 Major Accomplishment – In Pennsylvania, our advocacy efforts led to
the unanimous passage of the Hospice Drug Disposal Bill, which was signed into
law by Governor Tom Wolf in June.
Impact: This new law allows hospice and home health nurses to help families dispose of unused narcotics following a patient’s death or discharge. This is important to our Hospice employees because they felt that families needed help and support in disposing of unused drugs. The law shows that the home care industry is doing our part to curb the opioid epidemic in Pennsylvania.
2019 Major Goal 1:Secure a 10% increase for personal assistant
services (PAS) for programs under the Office of Long Term Living (OLTL).
Impact: This will allow us to increase compensation for our home health aides and better recruit and retain the caregivers necessary to keep up with the demand in Pennsylvania.
2019 Major Goal 2: Pass legislation allowing for deemed
eligibility within home care services.
Impact: This is landmark legislation which will help shift the balance from favoring institutions, such as nursing homes, which are currently allowed to deem a person eligible for Medicaid-based institutional care after a cursory review of their financial application. If passed, this would extend this practice to home care providers, which currently must conduct a full review of a person’s application before delivering services. Because a full review can take months, passage would help ensure seniors will have access to home care when they need it and will help divert individuals from the costlier option of institutions.
Rhode Island
2018 Major Accomplishment – In Rhode Island,
our advocacy efforts helped secure two rounds of Medicaid increases, which
range from 10% to 70% for home care services delivered by CNAs, LPNs, and RNs.
This landmark increase includes the first-in-the-nation annual Cost of Living
adjustment (COLa), which will provide additional increases to those rates every
year based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Cost of Medical Services annual
adjustment.
Impact: As a result of these significant increases, BAYADA and other home care providers can increase nurses’ and CNAs’ wages and better compete for a larger segment of Rhode Island’s workforce. We anticipate that better recruitment and retention will also result in increased access for Rhode Islanders who are currently authorized for home care services but are experiencing missed shifts or cannot find the adequate number of caregivers they need to remain safe at home.
2019 Major Goal 1 – In Rhode Island we are
seeking to secure a 10% high-acuity skilled nursing modifier rate for RNs and
LPNs in all Medicaid-contracted home care services provided to
tracheostomy/ventilated clients.
Impact: This rate differential will ensure that nurses who receive specialized training to care for clients with tracheotomies and ventilators receive a higher pay rate. This will enable BAYADA to better recruit and retain these specially trained nurses and thus ensure the continuity of care for these medically-fragile clients.
2019 Major Goal 2 – Our second 2019 goal is to
collaborate with industry partners to submit legislation ensuring the Medicaid
Home Care/Hospice COLa is included in the SFY 2020 budget.
Impact: Many states’ reimbursement rates have stagnated and have not been addressed for decades. Obtaining a COLa will protect Medicaid reimbursement rates from falling behind the cost of living and ensure that Rhode Island’s rates do not stagnate as they have elsewhere. This will better ensure we can compete with other health care settings to have the caregivers necessary to meet the demand.
South
Carolina
2018 Major Accomplishment – 2018 was the first year that South Carolina saw a full-time GAO presence. Our advocacy efforts secured us an average 10.5% rate increase for all personal care Medicaid waiver services.
Impact: The in-home personal care rate increases brought the personal care (PC) rate up 8.%, the enhanced personal care (EPC) and adult attendant care (ATDC) rates up 8.2%, and the respite care (RC) rate up 17.25%, each effective July 2018. This allows BAYADA to provide aide services to vulnerable South Carolinians across the state and enables us to keep families together at home.
2019 Major Goal – In 2019, our major goal in South Carolina is to secure a 24% increase for RN services within the Medicaid nursing waiver program and a 36% increase for LPN services within the same program.
Impact: Currently, home care providers can currently only compete for approximately 10% of RNs and 25% of LPNs in the state. A successful increase for both RNs and LPNs would allow us to attract a greater share of available nurses in the state and serve more vulnerable South Carolinians in need of skilled nursing home care services.
Last week, Hearts for Home Care members and BAYADA employees Dave Totaro, Tara Montague, and Alisa Fox traveled to northern New Jersey to meet two home care clients and their caregivers to learn more about how home care has impacted their lives and how they advocate on behalf of themselves and their loved ones.
Meeting Addy and Gloria
Photo: DOV client Addy R. and her HHA Gloria have an unbreakable bond
First, the team stopped by a BAYADA service office in Dover,
NJ to meet the staff and learn about the struggles the office regularly faces
in recruiting and retaining home health aides. Per staff member Helena Anton, challenges
lie primarily within staunch competition in the area and finding the high-quality and compassionate caregivers that
“you can tell are put on this earth to care for others,” as Helena puts it.
“Smaller home health care companies can usually pay the
caregiver more in wages because we put that money into benefits, training, and
supplies. But the real problem is that Medicaid
reimbursement rates are so low that these caregivers—no matter what company
they work for—aren’t making enough. That’s why we need to advocate to make sure
the state sees how low wages are impacting so many New Jerseyans that are able
to live and their communities and thrive with home care,” added Helena.
After the discussion, the Hearts for Home Care advocates met
home care client Addy and her aide Gloria. The crowd was nearly brought to
tears by Addy’s story regarding the challenges she has been able to overcome
with her “teammate”—which is what she calls Gloria.
“I was extremely touched by Addy’s and Gloria’s
relationship. Not only is it clear how much Gloria has impacted Addy’s daily
life and her sense of self-worth, but the way that Gloria talks about Addy’s
influence on her own life is incredible. You can tell that Gloria was truly put
on this earth to be the nurturing, compassionate caregiver that she is,” said
Tara Montague.
Recently, Addy and Gloria visited Senator Steve Oroho to
share their story and to advocate for better state home care policies. “Helping people is important. And it’s
important that those who help others get the help that they need too,” Addy
told the group. Addy recommitted to continuing to advocate for herself and for others
who are impacted by home health care. “I
want to share my message with legislators. It’s my way of giving back,” she
said.
Lili and Emma Welcome Advocacy into Their Home
Photo: Lili and her nurse Barbara share a high five
Next, Dave, Tara, and Alisa traveled to Morristown to visit home
care client Liliana “Lili” and her mother Emma in their home. As a single mom,
Emma relies on home nursing so that she can keep her full-time job and keep
Lili at home. She told us that her service office team works hard to ensure
that every one of Lili’s shifts are covered. She also shared about times when
that coverage wasn’t so steady: “Our
routine and our comfort level is only as good as today…When Lili’s main nurse
Liz retired, we had a few months where we didn’t know what tomorrow would
bring.”
Lili benefits from New Jersey’s private duty nursing (PDN) program,
which allows for children and adults with skilled care needs to live at home.
Without this program, it is unlikely that Lili would have been able to grow up
with her mom and graduate from school as she did. The PDN program’s rates need
to be raised in order to better attract more nurses to home care, as most can
currently make a higher wage delivering skilled care in a hospital or nursing
home. One of Hearts for Home Care’s
major advocacy goals for 2019 is to educate legislators on the need for a rate
increase and to secure one on behalf of all New Jersey home care clients,
families, and nurses.
Like Addy, Emma is committed to ongoing advocacy to ensure
that nurses see home care as an attractive employment option, so that other
families can receive the home care that they need too. In recent years, Emma has
hosted state elected officials in her home. “Seeing our daily routine and how
important it is for Lili to have a nurse at home is the most impactful way for
an assemblyman or senator to understand home care,” said Emma. “As a mother of someone who is able to stay
home due to in-home nursing care, I see it as my duty to advocate…Not just for Lili,
but for those in the state who are struggling to get the nursing they need.”
“It’s our clients’ and families’ voices that make the
biggest impact on our state and federal elected officials’ decisions about home
care. Because of advocates like Addy and
Emma, legislators better understand the impact home care has on their
communities,” said advocate Dave Totaro, who also serves as BAYADA’s chief
government affairs officer.
There are plenty of ways to advocate, even from home! To
find out ways that you can make an impact, contact us at advocacy@bayada.com. Together, we can
share our voices to make 2019 the best year for home care yet.
Sen. Alexander (back left) visits BAYADA client Rusty (front left) and his nurse, Vikki (front right) with BAYADA staff Cheryl, Jillian, and Rusty’s mother (back right).
GAO can’t do it alone, and in North Carolina we are proud to have so many employees that understand the impact of sharing their voice on behalf of all our staff and clients!
SHE and GAS Host Impactful Home Visit
Last month two offices, SHE and GAS, teamed up to host a
home visit with newly elected Senator Ted Alexander. Our BAYADA team of
advocates, including MIM Division Director Joe Seidel, GAS Clinical
Associate Cheryl Reading and GAS Client Services Manager Jillian Fernald, as
well as the client’s long-time nurse Vikki, spoke passionately about our
services and the challenges we face in care delivery.
The visit was a grand success! The importance of home care and the work you do every day was certainly not lost on Sen. Alexander, whose wife and daughter are both nurses: “Our goal,” he explained, “is to keep families where they belong, together and at home.” These types of interactions lay the foundation for support of our legislative asks because the decision-makers see first-hand the impact home care has on families.
RAN Builds Relationships in a Different
Way
BAYADA Ribbon Cutting Ceremony with Senator Wiley Nickel
Last month, the RAN office hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony
to commemorate the grand opening of our new state-of-the-art simulation lab and
training center. This was no regular ribbon cutting ceremony where the office
invited current and prospective nurses to tour and see-in-action the simulation
lab. We took the opportunity to educate
lawmakers on the scope and breadth of what is possible in the home by inviting
Senator Wiley Nickel to welcome the group. We also included Ed Troha, Vice
President for the NC Chamber, who has four nurses in his family, to speak about
the importance of the training center in job creation.
Additionally, former Senior Chairman for House Appropriations Nelson Dollar issued a proclamation to show his strong and constant support for home care. This center allows BAYADA to train nurses using real life scenarios that helps develop confidence, competence, and builds career-building skills to home health care nurse. Increasing awareness among legislators and other community leaders on the benefits of home care helps garner support as we work toward our legislative goals.
Thank you to the many
North Carolina staff and families that regularly share their voices in
advocacy! To find out how you can get more involved, contact GAO Director Lee Dobson today!
BAYADA client Carly (front) is pictured here with NJ Assemblyman Anthony Bucco (right) during a legislative home visit, which served to familiarize the assemblyman about how home care affects his constituents. Carly and her mother Christina (left) also testified at a legislative hearing in Trenton about the need for increased Private Duty Nursing (PDN) rates.
Client advocacy matters more than that of home care industry professionals. While home care professionals can share facts and figures about home care with legislators, it is clients’ stories that truly paint the picture of what home care means to legislators’ constituents.
Whether a home care client is an infant, senior, or any age in-between, it is very likely that the nursing or aide services that they rely on is from a Medicaid or Medicare program. What this means is that government officials are the ones making the decisions on care regulations and reimbursement rates rather than those who are regularly affected by home care. Home care providers must accept these rates and regulations and provide care to the best of their abilities based on what the government has set forth rather than on what is actually best for clients and their families.
Home care employees regularly see that many of the government reimbursement rates for home care are low and have not been increased in years. This has a domino effect in that if providers can’t bring more revenue in, they can’t pay higher rates to attract more staff to care for current clients or for new clients who will need care in the future.
Many areas of our country are starting to age and will need caregivers to allow people to live in their homes instead of in facilities, yet projections indicate fewer people want to be professional caregivers due to the industry’s low wages. Additionally, more nurses are choosing employment in other types of settings, which makes it difficult for many home care clients to have adequate nursing coverage because facilities such as hospitals can pay nurses a higher wage.
As elections come and go, we see changes in our government leaders and with these changes come the possibility of healthcare policy changes. These changes can be sudden and unpredictable, and these changes often threaten funding cuts to important programs such as Medicaid or Medicare. Any funding cuts to these programs would be devastating to home care providers and to program beneficiaries.
The interesting thing is that the representatives and senators who we vote for at the state and federal level make these decisions, and few of them have strong healthcare backgrounds. In addition, it is their job to represent all of the people from their respective districts to the best of their abilities. While provider employees can share their voices through legislative meetings, clients’ and their family members’ advocating and sharing their stories matter most.
Clients who benefit from home care and their family members have their own special stories to tell. As the end users of nursing and aide services, clients and family members have the first-hand knowledge of how the Medicaid and Medicare programs are working and what could be done to improve them. Clients names, faces, and shared stories paint a far more detailed picture of home care than industry professionals can with facts and figures. When legislators vote on issues related to home care, clients stories are better-remembered, and legislators are much more likely to vote for favorable home care policies with these in mind.
“I’ve been an advocate for my wife, who is 100 percent dependent, for 16 years,” said Mike Pollock, the husband of a client who advocates to protect home care for his wife and all who need services. “Thanks to Medicare and Medicaid and BAYADA, I’ve been able to care for her at home. Although Medicare and Medicaid are excellent resources, they have their issues. An excellent resource for solving these issues are our elected officials,” Pollock said. “In fact, elected officials are the only people capable of fixing issues that arise within Medicare and Medicaid. But they can’t help if they don’t know what we as family caregivers are dealing with every day. Never hesitate about reaching out to them. It’s been my experience they are eager to help,” Pollock concluded.
By putting advocacy into action and connecting our clients to their elected officials, there is a far better chance that Medicaid and Medicare will be protected and grow with the needs of our clients. Please email me at rhynick@bayada.com for more information related to client and family advocacy and what you can do to help protect and strengthen the home care industry in your state and at the federal level.
Submitted by Tara Montague, Manager, Client and Family Advocacy, NJ (GAO)
I had the pleasure of hosting Carol Murphy, Assembly candidate in Legislative District 7, for a home visit to meet my daughter Mary. As a 20 year long client of Mt. Laurel Pediatrics (MLP), Mary is the epitome of what home care can help families to achieve and we wanted Ms. Murphy to experience that first-hand. Clinical Manager Chantel Denny and Administrative Coordinator Brooke Fitzpatrick discussed some of the challenging staffing issues that occur due to low reimbursement rates and difficulty attracting qualified nurses. Registered Nurse Stacey Sutton shared some of the varied tasks that she performs in order to keep Mary healthy and safe at home and at school. Ms. Murphy made a commitment, if elected to work with us to make home health care nursing a more attractive career option in the state.
