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Visiting Nurse Associations of America Asked to Testify in Congress on National Post-Acute Care Policy
On Thursday, June 16, Carol Raphael, the President and Chief Executive Office of the Visiting Nurse Service of New York, testified before Congress during a hearing on national post-acute care policy. She submitted testimony on behalf of the homecare industry at the bequest of Representative Nancy Johnson (R-CT), the Chair of the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee.
"Visiting Nurse Agencies (VNAs) are one of the largest providers of home care to Medicare patients," noted Carolyn Markey, President and CEO of the Visiting Nurse Associations of America (VNAA). "Our members have a unique and critical role to serve our nation's Medicare beneficiaries, and VNAA looks forward to working with this subcommittee to ensure VNAs have a strong voice in this important national conversation on Medicare post-acute care policies and payment methodologies
The hearing focused on:
- Current financing for post-acute care services in Medicare
- The services available across the various sub-acute settings
- The patient assessment instruments used in each setting and the commonalities between them
- Prospects and suggestions for moving ahead with a common patient assessment tool and a more rational payment system based on beneficiary need rather than institutional setting
To learn more:
About Carol Raphael
Ms. Raphael, a highly regarded national expert in healthcare financing and policy particularly in the areas of Medicare, Medicaid and long term care, is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the largest non-profit home health care organization in the United States. VNSNY provides acute, rehabilitative and long-term care services to residents of the New York City region. In 2004, VNSNY had an active daily census of 24,000 patients and delivered more than two million home visits. Ms. Raphael is also a former member of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), the commission that advises Congress on Medicare payment and policies.
About the Visiting Nurse Associations of America (VNAA)
The Visiting Nurse Associations of America is the official national association for non-profit, community-based Visiting Nurse Agencies, who care for and treat approximately 4 million patients each year. The nation's network of 415-plus Visiting Nurse Associations employ nearly 150,000 healthcare professionals, and share a non-profit mission to provide cost-effective and compassionate home health care to some of the nation's most vulnerable individuals, particularly the elderly and individuals with disabilities. The VNAA has a wide range of resources available on its award-winning website about home healthcare and things to ask about when considering home health care. If you live outside the New York City, Nassau, or Westchester area, locate a VNA near you.
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