HCAC 2009
Election Results
(Elections were held during the annual business meeting on
Friday, May 8, 2009, in conjunction with the 39th Annual
Convention & Home Care Exhibition, Marriott Mountain Resort and Spa,
Vail, Colorado.)
NEW BOARD MEMBERS
METRO DENVER
Todd Chambers, MSW, BS (2012)
President
All the Comfort of Home,
Inc., Littleton
Current
coordinator of HCAC's new Private Duty Section.
1) Why am I interested in being an
HCAC officer, board member or nominating committee member?
There are several reasons I would like to
serve on the board. I am passionate about providing home care for our
clients and I recognize the changing home care and health care environment
we live in. There are many changes that will occur in our industry in the
coming months and years. HCAC has an opportunity and a responsibility to
influence those changes so that consumers and industry professionals
benefit. I bring a fresh viewpoint on aging and home care issues from both
the consumer and professional perspective. I have family members who have
experienced the "highs" and "lows" of home care service and I have been a
provider of home care and aging services for many years. I would like the
opportunity to make a contribution to the home care community. My
expertise in geriatric psychiatry and medicine, home care experience and
my proven leadership in non-medical home care would make me an asset to
the board.
2) What
are the major issues facing the home care industry?
There are several important issues we are faced with in the Colorado
home care community and nationally. The enormous demographic shift of the
aging population will intensify the pressure on the home care system. The
familiar issues of access to care, affordability, regulation (State and
Federal), the ability to find qualified home care professionals and many
other issues will all be affected. The pressure on the system will require
innovation and change to manage the burden of providing the services that
are needed. There will be technological solutions that will streamline
some functions. We need leadership to direct the innovation and change
that will be needed to effectively serve Coloradans who need and desire
our services.
3) What
are my qualities which would help me contribute to the vision of HCAC?
I am committed to the importance and viability of home care. I am
committed to see our sector of health care grow and remain an affordable
option for consumers and a financially healthy enterprise for providers. I
have a long history working as a home health Social Worker and as
President of a new non-medical home care company, All the Comfort of Home,
Inc. I bring a background of clinical experience, the ability to
communicate well with others, entrepreneurship and leadership, to serve
the board and the members of the association.
METRO DENVER
Linda Bagby,
BSN (2012)
Owner /
Administrator
Acaria, Inc., Lakewood
Current Member of HCAC Survey Task
Force
1) Why am I interested in being an
HCAC officer, board member or nominating committee member?
I have been in
home care since 1993 and survived all the ups and downs. I am
knowledgeable in the market as well as a strong advocate for home care. I
would never work in a hospital again. When I am passionate about something
like home care, I will fight to the end for it. I currently serve on the
HCAC Survey Task Force. I am highly motivated and I have started up two
successful agencies and have been deficiency free on several state surveys
with different agencies. I believe in the mission of HCAC and am confident
that I am a good person to fit the role.
2) What
are the major issues facing the home care industry?
I feel the most important issue is the
potential Federal budget cuts for home health care. It already is very
difficult to hire and retain quality employees. If the cuts go through,
nurses and therapists may leave for higher paying jobs in the hospital
system. Demand for home care services is rising, driven by an aging
population along with the shortage of quality health care
providers, especially nurses. This along with wage differentials between
home care and other health care settings make it difficult to attract home
care workers. There is a much longer orientation time in home care due to
strict regulations, paperwork and the independent nature of the job.
Patients are being sent home with much higher level of acuity. This puts a
strain on the home care provider as well as the agency. Tele-monitoring
needs to be recognized as a safe and cost effective means for providing
quality health care.
3) What are my qualities which
would help me contribute to the vision of HCAC?
I have the
knowledge, beliefs, care and passion to contribute greatly to the HCAC. I
have been a nurse my whole adult life, starting as a CNA and working my
way up to agency Administrator. I have worked in two states, one hospital
and six home health agencies. I started two agencies from the ground up
and have a deep understanding of the home care industry.
·
Beliefs...I
believe the home health industry is vital to providing quality health care
to Americans and should be fought for. I believe there is nothing like the
comfort and security of your home when you're ill or recovering from an
illness. Research shows that a patient with an acute or chronic illness
recovers much quicker than in an institution.
·
Attention to
detail... My agency succeeds because I pay attention. For example, my
agency only hires and retains quality health care workers. I have a very
high standard of practice that I require in all my employees.
·
Care...I provide
a caring environment. For example, I provide a working environment that is
open and warm. Many potential recruits and employees state how "good the
office feels." Because I have such a passion for home care, I strongly
feel that I would be an asset to HCAC.
METRO DENVER
Cathy Kaufman
(2012)
CEO
Complete Home Health Care, LLC, Longmont
(with locations also Colorado
Springs, Pueblo)
Current Member of HCAC
Nominating Committee.
1) Why am
I interested in being an HCAC officer, board member or nominating
committee member?
I am interested in becoming a member of
the HCAC Board of Directors. I wish to contribute my experience and
expertise to the HCAC leadership in the home care industry. I am committed
to promoting the Vision and Mission of HCAC and continuously speak out in
public forums about the value that HCAC adds to the home care industry in
Colorado. I am a founding partner/ owner and CEO of Complete Home Health
Care, which provides both skilled and unskilled care. I have been a leader
in my own company to take it from a "start up" to a large state-wide
company in eight years. I feel that with my clinical and business
management experience, as well as my leadership qualities, I could add my
expertise and passion to benefit the home care industry and HCAC.
2) What
are the major issues facing the home care industry?
Some of the major issues facing the
home care industry are:
·
Funding drains while trying to serve sicker, more costly patients
in the home health care setting. Cost of services is rising while
reimbursement is decreasing.
·
Shortages of qualified Registered
Nurses, Therapists and other caregivers.
·
Technology driven care and the
financial impact on smaller agencies. While the value of telemedicine is
becoming more recognized, the cost of the technology may be prohibitive in
the tightening economy. The challenge is how to embrace cost effective
technology to improve care and patient outcomes, while dealing with
decreasing reimbursements.
·
Regulatory burdens. Home care is a fast
paced industry with frequent changes in regulations. Keeping up, staying
educated and compliant is a challenge in an already regulatory complicated
enterprise.
3) What
are my qualities which would help me contribute to the vision of HCAC?
The qualities that I have to contribute
to the vision of HCAC include my 18 years experience in the Colorado home
care industry, in which I have been very active and involved in both
clinical and management roles. I am frequently called upon for
consultation in difficult decisions. I have the ability to negotiate and
mediate conflict. I have written our company's entire Policy and
Procedures manual which has received compliments by state surveyors. I
have developed and implemented many quality improvement processes as well
as cost savings procedures in my agency. I have the ability to see the
"big picture" then bring it down to workable segments to achieve outcomes.
I promote team work and process improvement, leading teams toward
continuous quality improvement. I have worked in management / leadership
roles for the past 16 years and would like to add my dimension to the HCAC
leadership.
METRO DENVER
Channie Wright, RN,
BSN (2012)
Director
Bayada Nurses, Westminster
Vice President, and Member of HCAC Board of Directors; Chair,
HCAC Education / Professional Development Council;
1) Why am I interested
in being an HCAC officer, board member or nominating committee member?
I love home care. I have worked in the home health industry for more than
20 years and am interested in continuing to broaden my scope of experience
by continuing to serve as an HCAC board member. Home health continues to
evolve and change over the years. I am interested in being a part of the
evolution, by representing skilled home health and helping to influence
the industry in a positive way by being a member of HCAC’s leadership
team.
2) What are the major
issues facing the home care industry?
At times, home care is a slippery slope and the hurdles are high. We are
faced with submitting to a myriad or regulations: Federal, State,
Regulatory, and Managed Care. In truth, we are a “paper chase” business
and know well what it means to jump through the hoops to accomplish the
many tasks at hand. Trying to stay afloat by following regulations and
dealing with reimbursement issues has turned service into business. One of
the greatest challenges today is bringing these two components together in
order to stay true to the service of helping people in home care.
Recruitment and retention is also a major issue in home care. But our
industry is not unique to this problem; it is an issue that impacts all
areas of health care. However, home care is a unique specialty and
requires distinctive people to fill the needs.
3)
What are my qualities which would help me contribute to the vision of
HCAC?
I am fully committed to home care, and intend to spend the rest of my
nursing career in this specialized field. My experience has been broad in
home care – 14 years as a field nurse, followed by six years in a
managerial role. Hands-on nursing care still brings me the greatest
satisfaction; although my current role as manager is helping nurses who
provide direct care do it well. In the long run, many caring hands
multiply the outcome of my efforts. If I am re-elected to the HCAC board
of directors, I hope to offer commitment, energy, and enthusiasm to this
important industry
SOUTHEAST COLORADO
Sonya Neumann, RN, BSN
(2011)
Area Vice President Operations
Physicians Home Health, a gentiva
company, Colorado Springs
(also in
Pueblo and Greenwood Village)
President and Member of HCAC Board of Directors since 2003, Chair, HCAC
Legislative Council, Former Chair, SE Managers’ Forum Co-Chair
1) Why am I interested
in being an HCAC officer, board member or nominating committee member?
Applying for a leadership role in HCAC was interesting to me because the
home care industry is evolving once again. During the last 10 years, I
have been witness to many changes in the industry that have required a
grassroots effort to make a difference. I was honored to be part of that
effort and unless I miss my projection we will need to unite and speak in
a voice of solidarity once again to protect and better our industry.
The age of technological advances is upon us, which will require more
progress in our industry. Therefore, we need progressive leaders. I am an
innovative and progressive leader who would compliment the other great
leaders in place. I believe that leaders must be learning leaders in order
to grow and evolve to meet the needs of business and ultimately the home
care industry. By continuing to serve as an officer in the HCAC
organization I would be able to continue to grow and work with other
progressive leaders in our industry.
2) What are the major
issues facing the home care industry?
The home care industry is faced with staffing shortages to meet the
growing needs of our aging population. Staffing shortages are twofold in
the area of recruitment and retention based on the complexity of the job.
The need to adequately reimburse in the face of rising gas prices, and
many other daily operating costs for the agency as well as the employee,
makes the job flexibility and positive features of the job lessen in
comparison. The industry, as well as the individual agency, is faced with
these burdens and the future of our industry will require us to combat the
negative focus.
The need to hold off the dreaded co-pay issue that
rears up each year as the federal government attempts to balance the
budget. Working with legislators to promote home care and keep watch over
reimbursement issues (Market Basket updates, rural adjustment, equalizing
PPS, P4P, payment for telehealth, Ref C & D, etc.)
Focus on issues
regarding raising practice standards to improve patient outcomes…working
smarter and more effectively to elevate the outcome for the patient.
Constant effort will be needed to refine and influence policy in regards
to OASIS outcome data. The validity of outcome data will undoubtedly
become more of an issue as P4P rises to the top.
3) What are my qualities
which would help me contribute to the vision of HCAC?
I believe in home care with a passion and I support the need to uphold
our industry as a leader in the future of health care. Our industry is
core to the health care continuum because home care has the vision of the
future. People want to be cared for at home and we make that possible. I
am honored to have an opportunity to contribute to the well-being of our
industry by being an active participant. I bring energy, innovation,
commitment, knowledge and a desire to make the home care industry a better
place to work, which will ultimately better serve our clients. Developing
each other through interaction, education, experience and leadership makes
us all better and when you join a group of individuals you form a team. In
that team, you find that together you can do so much more than any of us
could on our own. This is why it is paramount to support and participate
in HCAC. The vision of HCAC calls for unity and synergy in order to
accomplish what is important to our industry.
NORTHEAST
COLORADO
Versa Mooney, MA, BSN
(2012)
Banner Home Care, Greeley
HCAC Education & Professional Development Council member,
Convention Committee member; Chair, Fundamentals in Home Health Committee;
1) Why am I interested
in being an HCAC officer, board member or nominating committee member?
I am interested in continuing on the HCAC Board because I would like to
be of further service to home care as an industry in a broader
perspective. I believe in home care and its benefits to the community.
There are some significant challenges ahead as the baby boomers begin to
retire at a time when there is a diminishing availability of health care
professionals. I think that it is going to take some creativity to meet
that challenge in the future and I would like to be a part of that. I
would also like to have some input into the direction of home care and
would like to see the industry avoid the negative publicity that it
received in the past and that it is fairly represented.
2)
What are the major issues facing the home care industry?
The major issues facing the home care industry are (not in order of
severity or priority):
w
Financial viability in a shifting
payment system.
w
Integration of technology.
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Attracting and maintaining high
quality staff.
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Competitive marketing.
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Satisfying all regulatory agencies.
3)
What are my qualities which would help me contribute to the vision
of HCAC?
One of my strongest qualities is my broad
background in areas other than home care. I have served on boards in my
small community of Mead as a town council woman and a town commissioner
for the planning board. I am currently an instructor in Medical
Terminology at Front Range Community College. These experiences have given
me insight from the regulatory and educational perspective. This is in
addition to my multiple years of home care experience that provides me
with a broad knowledge base in the home care industry. I am very
supportive of the value that home care provides to the community and the
patients that benefit from its services. I am concerned about the future
of home care and am convinced it is the future of health care.