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NEW HOME HEALTH QUALITY DATA IDENTIFIES
LEADING HOME HEALTH AGENCIES AROUND THE COUNTRY
Burr Ridge, Illinois, November 18, 2003-Patients who require home healthcare and their families will now have an objective resource when choosing a home health agency. On November 3rd, 2003, The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, launched a home health quality initiative (HHQI) that provides information on how well individual home health agencies around the country provide care for patients, patients’ physical and mental health, and patients’ ability to perform basic daily activities.
Nightingale Home Healthcare, Inc., headquartered in Carmel, Indiana with a recently opened Burr Ridge, Illinois office, led the way in Indiana, exceeding state and national ratings in 10 of 11 key measures. According to a CMS ad printed in a recent issue of the Indianapolis Star, Nightingale Home Healthcare earned Indiana’s highest quality rating in “Patients who get better at bathing” and “Patients who get better at walking or moving around.” They also ranked in the top 20% of Indiana agencies in “Patients who get better at taking their medicine correctly (by mouth).” The Burr Ridge office was not included in the initial home health rating for Illinois because the study was conducted prior to a full year of operation.
“We have always placed paramount importance on the quality of care we provide our patients,” said Nightingale President Dr. Dev Anuroop Brar, “and we’re pleased to see that our commitment to care is reflected in the Indiana CMS quality measures. We look forward to the same positive ratings for our Chicago location as part of the ongoing HHS Quality Initiative. Quality care is dependent upon skill and training, which is obviously critical. But we feel that compassion is an equally important care component that directly influences our patients physical and mental recovery.”
Nightingale Home Healthcare began operation in 1996 and has served over 5,000 patients throughout Central Indiana. The Burr Ridge, Illinois office has served close to 150 Chicagoland home health patients since it opened in early spring of 2003. As a leading, full-service provider of home healthcare staffing and services, Nightingale provides nursing care, home health aide, physical and occupational therapy, speech pathology, and medical social services. They are also Central Indiana’s exclusive provider of the HomMed Monitoring System, a home-monitoring device that records and transmits blood pressure, heart rate, temperature, and other important information to healthcare professionals from the comfort of a patient’s home. The HomMed Monitoring System is also available to patients in the Chicago area.
To learn more about Nightingale Home Healthcare, visit their website at www.HomeCareForYou.com. For more information on Nightingale Home Healthcare or other Indiana home health agency quality ratings, visit www.medicare.gov and click on "Home Health Compare," or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). TTY users should call 1-877-486-2048.
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