With over 9,575 highly skilled care-providers, VNSNY is the largest not-for-profit home health care agency in the nation. In 2004, we made 2,300,000 professional home visits to more than 112,000 patients. From Flatbush to Riverdale, Chinatown to Harlem, New Hyde Park to Old Westbury, our care-providers travel throughout New York City, Nassau and Westchester Counties, seeing an average of 26,500 patients on any given day.

Licensed by the New York State Department of Health, we are fully accredited by the Community Health Accreditation Program (CHAP) of the National League for Nursing. Our CHAP accreditation - which also includes commendations for quality management and care coordination - assures you that the quality of care provided by VNSNY is nationally recognized for its excellence.

VNS at a Glance:
President and Chief Executive Officer: Carol Raphael
Chairman of the Board: Douglas D. Broadwater

Service Area:
New York City and Nassau and Westchester Counties

Service Statistics:
Largest not-for-profit home health care provider in the U.S.
Average daily census: 26,500
2004 total patients served: 112,900
2004 total professional home visits: 2,300,000

Staff:
Total employees: 11,258, including...
Registered Nurses: 2,400
Rehabilitation Therapists: 700
Social Workers: 600
Home Health Aides: 5,735
Other Clinical Professionals (Physicians, Nutritionists, Psychologists): 125
Collectively, VNSNY staff speak 50 languages.

Age Distribution of Caseload (2004):
Birth - 5:......3.8%
6--20:..........2.4%
21-45:.........8.9%
46-65:.........22.5%
66-75:.........19.9%
76-90:.........36.0%
91+: ...........6.5%

Length of Stay Distribution of Caseload (2004):
Under 1 week.............17.0%
1 week-1 month...........32.1%
1 month-3 months.........32.8%
3 months-6 months.........5.7%
6 months - 1 year.........1.2%
Over 1 year..............0.1%
Active ............................11.1%

Major Diagnoses (2004):
Home Care after Surgery
Diabetes
Orthopedic Aftercare
Hypertension
Care Involving Rehabilitation Procedures
Cerebrovascular Disease

How Does VNS Provide Patient Services?

The Visiting Nurse Service of New York (VNSNY) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to home and community-based health care. The agency was established in 1893 by Lillian D. Wald, the founder of public health nursing in the United States.

Today, VNSNY is the parent organization of several not-for-profit companies whose staff provide and coordinate the care of patients residing throughout New York City and in Nassau County. The information below is designed to:

1. Explain the relationship among VNSNY's group of companies,
2. Describe the services available to patients and families through VNSNY's various companies,
3. Identify the services that may be provided, on a contractual basis, by companies other than VNSNY's own network of companies, and
4. Describe the payment methods for home health care.

Patients who enter our care system may receive services from only one VNSNY company, or from several companies, depending on their needs. VNSNY staff will work with you and your physician to identify your care needs and either draw upon the resources available within our group of companies or inform you of private and other community services available.

If you have any questions about the information in this pamphlet, or require information about home care service that is not provided here, you may speak directly with your nurse or call the Customer Care Center of the Visiting Nurse Service of New York at 1-888-VNS-1-CALL (1-888-867-1225).

What is Home Health Care?

Home health care can be broadly defined as any care that is provided to patients in their place of residence. There is an important distinction, however, between certified services and licensed services. Certified services are those that, under specific circumstances, may be covered by Medicare and/or Medicaid or commercial insurance carriers, including Managed Care Plans. Licensed services may be reimbursed by commercial insurance carriers and managed care plans and may also be purchased on a private pay basis.

Both certified and licensed services are available through VNSNY's network of companies. Depending upon a patient's home care needs, the plan of care approved by a patient's physician or managed care case manager, or a patient's personal preferences, the services provided in a patient's home may be either certified or licensed, or both.

The eligibility and coverage criteria established by Medicare and Medicaid, and by commercial insurance plans, are very specific and determine both the amount of service provided by VNSNY companies and the duration of service provided by VNSNY companies. It is important for health care consumers to understand their health benefits and the limitations that may be placed on when and how much home care service is permitted. Your nurse can help you understand your benefits.

How is VNSNY Organized?

The Visiting Nurse Service of New York includes the companies and specialized programs identified below. Depending upon a patient's home care needs, these companies and unique programs collaborate, when and as necessary, to deliver patient services.

Visiting Nurse Service of New York - a not-for-profit "parent" company which provides administrative and support services, such as financial management and fund-raising, to its group of companies.

Visiting Nurse Service of New York Home (VNSNY Home Care) - a certified home health agency that provides skilled nursing care, rehabilitation therapies and other professional services, as well as certified home health aide services.

Congregate Care Living - a specialized program offered in select residential settings with a high proportion of senior residents. In most settings, a Visiting Nurse Service of New York Home Care nurse is on site to help coordinate services and to provide health education and health screenings.

Long Term Home Health Care Program - a specialized, Medicaid funded program that provides a range of services to patients who might otherwise be placed in a nursing home.

Visiting Nurse Service of New York Hospice Care - a Medicare certified program that provides end of life care to patients and their families.

VNS Group Health Home Care - a certified agency that provides skilled nursing care, rehabilitation therapies and other professional services, as well as certified home health aide services, in Staten Island only.

Partners in Care - a licensed home care agency that provides home health aide services on a contract basis to VNSNY Home Care. It also provides home health aide and professional services to patients and families who pay privately.

VNS Family Care Services - a Medicaid funded program that provides home attendant services to NYC Human Resources Administration clients in the Bronx and Manhattan. It also provides home health aide services to VNSNY Home Care on a contract basis.

VNS CHOICE - a certified, Medicaid managed long term care plan that provides a broad range of services to patients in their homes and at various community locations. Members must be eligible for Medicaid, and must also meet nursing home eligibility criteria.

The table of organization below indicates the relationship between VNSNY, its subsidiaries and specialized programs.

To facilitate the management and delivery of home health services, VNSNY subsidiaries have offices in each borough of New York City and in Nassau County.

Who Coordinates a Patient's Home Health Care Services?

Thousands of patients rely each day upon VNSNY subsidiaries for home health care services. As you might imagine, the delivery and management of patient care throughout VNSNY's service area (New York City and Nassau County) is a complex task. But every patient in our care, whether receiving certified or licensed services, has a single professional who coordinates all services and who can answer patient questions. The nurse or therapist, working closely with the patient‘s physician or managed care case manager, will provide care directly and/or arrange for all authorized home care services.

Who Provides a Patient's Home Health Care Services?

Most patient care is provided directly by staff of VNSNY companies. Home health aide services are provided either by Partners in Care (a VNSNY company) or by carefully selected agencies that provide certified aide service under contract with VNSNY Home Care.

Durable medical equipment and supplies are arranged through contractors. Some rehabilitation therapists may provide service on a contractual basis.

But whenever a home care service, product or supply is provided on a contract basis, patients can be assured that VNSNY companies have exercised the utmost care is selecting service contractors that meet the highest quality standards in home health care.

Methods of Payment for Home Health Care.

The major sources of funding for home health care services are Medicare, Medicaid, Commercial Insurance (including Managed Care Plans) and Direct Private Payment.

As noted earlier, however, the amount and duration of certified services provided by VNSNY subsidiaries are determined by Medicare and/or Medicaid or a patient's commercial insurance carrier.

Patients may elect on their own to supplement their care with licensed services provided by Partners in Care (a VNSNY company) or another agency, or patients may elect to continue care if their service is terminated by Medicare, Medicaid or a commercial insurance carrier, but such services must then be purchased on a private pay basis. These private pay services must be arranged directly between the patient or family and Partners in Care or other licensed agency.

A Commitment to Quality Care.

The Visiting Nurse Service of New York, with a century-long tradition of caring in the New York metropolitan area, is committed to the highest standards of quality and patient service.

Please speak to your visiting nurse or call the Customer Care Center at 1-888-VNS-1-CALL (1-888-867-1225), if you have questions or wish to learn more about VNSNY.