Ledyard Nurses Earn Top Honors for Home Health Care

The Ledyard Regional VNA announced that it has been named to the Top 100 of the 2012 HomeCare Elite, a compilation of the top-performing home health agencies nationwide, for the fourth year in a row.

“This is huge, especially now with Medicare changes and the cutbacks down the road,” said Karen Goetchius, the Administrative Supervisor for LVNA.

Goetchius said she expects that state and federal funds will be more dedicated to agencies that rank high in performance and patient satisfaction while other agencies may be “squeezed out” with reduced health care reimbursements.

“HomeCare Elite recognition continues to gain importance given the increased regulatory mandates and the threat of shrinking reimbursement revenue,” wrote Marci Heydt, a manager at DecisionHealth in a press release announcing the honor. “Home health agencies that have earned recognition among the HomeCare Elite demonstrated that they not only can adapt to an evolving marketplace but continue to excel in clinical, patient experience, quality improvement, and financial outcomes,”

Goetchius said she has a staff of 45 people including home care nurses, school nurses and aides.

“The one thing we are is small, so we’re able to do a lot of things big agencies can’t,” she said. “We’re more patient focused and complaints are answered within a day.”

Ledyard Visiting Nursing Association was compared to every other Medicare-certified agency in the nation and placed in the top 20 percent.

The release said, “winners are ranked by an analysis of publicly available performance measures in quality outcomes, process measure implementation, patient experience, quality improvement, and financial performance.”

Despite all the performance markers, Goetchius said excellent patient care is the agency’s primary goal.

“The goal is to keep people out of the hospital. Our job is to keep them home as long as possible,” she said.

Home health care is a growing industry, according to Goetchius. “We’re going to play a big role in baby boomers staying home.”

Home health care provided by the Ledyard VNA is available to residents of Ledyard. Goetchius said residents should make a request for the Ledyard agency with their discharge planner or call the office at 860-464-8464 and the agency will make proper arrangements.

The agency offers nursing care and home health aides, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and services provided by a social worker.

They accept all insurances, “even the one’s that pay awful,” said Goetchius. “We won’t let people go without, the Town supports all residents.