Day Kimball HomeCare Receives High Marks From National Study

PUTNAM, CONN. – In 2010, Medicare spent $19.4 billion on home health services. In the United States during 2011, 3.4 Medicare beneficiaries received home health services from over 11,900 agencies. By 2016, the Connecticut Department of Social Services predicts that the “Constitution State” will need more than 9,000 home care workers to meet growing demand.

The good news for residents of Northeast Connecticut is that a local home health organization has received another good evaluation for its efforts in this growing health services area.

Putnam-based Day Kimball HomeCare, which is part of the Day Kimball Healthcare integrated system, received a 93 percent “overall rating of care,” compared to the 84 percent national and Connecticut averages, according to the Home Health Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HHCAHPS) “Patient Experience of Care Survey.” The survey is sponsored by Medicare as part of its Home Health Compare program.

According to the Medicare web site (www.Medicare.gov), the HHCAHPS “… is designed to measure the experiences of people receiving home health care from Medicare-certified home health agencies.” Day Kimball’s study was conducted by Fazzi Associates, an independent home care consulting firm located in Northampton, Massachusetts.

The study covers the period ending June 30, 2012, and is the fourth quarter in a row that Day Kimball HomeCare has scored higher than the national and local averages. Other benchmarks include:

	Likelihood of Recommending (percent)	Care of Patients (percent)	Communications (percent)	Specific Care Issues (percent)
National	79	88	85	84
Connecticut	83	87	84	82
Day Kimball HomeCare	94	92	89	84

Day Kimball HomeCare is a Medicare certified home care agency providing skilled care in patient homes. Services include IV therapy; Wound Care; and Telemonitoring, Acute and Chronic Care Management. Programs include Care of the Sick, Wellness, Maternal Child Health and Behavioral Health.