Use this page as your portal to the health care industry online. We have compiled a categorized list of links relevant to professionals working in home health, medical staffing and private-duty businesses. Turn here to start your research when you need information about industry organizations, health care quality, health care IT, policy groups, Medicare, industry trends and more.
Health Care Industry Associations
Membership-based organizations that support and promote businesses and professionals in the home health, medical staffing and private-duty segments of the health care industry.
- Trade Groups & Business Associations
- Professional Associations
- Accreditation and Certification Organizations
- Health Care Technology Groups
- Health Care Quality Groups
- Health Care Policy Groups
Links to information about Medicare and Medicaid.
Clinical Care Resources
Organizations that support best practices and safety in patient care.
Industry News & Publications
Sources for the latest news and information about the health care industry.
HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS
Trade Groups & Business Associations
Membership-based groups dedicated to promoting, supporting and advocating for businesses and individuals involved in home health care.American Health Care Association
http://www.ahcancal.org/Pages/Default.aspx
This trade group for providers of long-term and post-acute care acts as an advocate for quality care and services for the frail, elderly and disabled. It represents the community to the government, business leaders and the general public.
NAHC: National Association for Homecare & Hospice
http://www.nahc.org/home.html
NAHC represents the interests and concerns of home care agencies, hospices, home care aide organizations and medical equipment suppliers. The organization’s Web site includes professional development- and career-related resources, news and information about federal and state regulations, links to state associations, vendor lists and much more.
Private Duty Homecare Association
http://www.pdhca.org
Established by NAHC, this group focuses on the business needs of home care providers dedicated to helping the ill and disabled remain in their own homes. It provides help in understanding federal guidelines, financial management assistance, networking opportunities, business strategy meetings, certification and accreditation opportunities, and more.
VNNA: Visiting Nurse Associations of America
http://vnaa.org/vnaa
VNAA supports and promotes community-based, nonprofit home health and hospice providers that care for people regardless of their condition or ability to pay. The Web site provides advocacy and educational resources.
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Professional Associations
Membership-based groups that support professional development, career management and best practices among individuals working in the health care profession.Healthcare Compliance Association
http://www.hcca-info.org
This association champions ethical practice and compliance standards across all segments of health care and provides resources to support compliance professionals in the health care field. Resources include how to set up a compliance program, how to become a certified health care compliance officer and more.
WOCN: Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society
http://www.wocn.org
A professional organization for nurses and other health care professionals who specialize in caring for patients with wounds, ostomies and incontinence, WOCN promotes educational, clinical and research opportunities, and other resources to support improvements in the delivery of patient care.
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Accreditation and Certification Organizations
Groups providing accreditation for health care businesses and/or professional certification for individuals working in the health care field.Board of Medical Specialty Coding
http://www.medicalspecialtycoding.com
The BMSC provides certification and training for medical coders, clinicians and compliance professionals working in home health companies and medical practices.
CHAP: Community Health Accreditation Program
http://www.chapinc.org
Founded in 1965, CHAP was the first accrediting body for community-based health care organizations in the United States. Granted “deeming authority” by CMS for home health, hospice and home medical equipment, CHAP has regulatory authorization to survey home health and hospice agencies to determine whether they meet the Medicare Conditions of Participation (COPs). It promotes excellence in community health care practice.
The Joint Commission
http://www.jointcommission.org
The Joint Commission provides nationally recognized certification and accreditation programs for all types of health care practices. Its Web site features information on all of its programs as well as resources related to standards, performance measurement, patient safety, public policy and education.
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Health Care Technology Groups
Groups that provide support, education and advocacy related to using information technology effectively to improve health care services and business management.American Health Information Management Association
http://www.ahima.org
This association for Health Information Management (HIM) professionals is dedicated to the effective management of personal health information. It sponsors programs and activities to promote quality health care delivery through improved information management, to influence public policy and to educate its members. The Web site also features professional development and educational resources.
American Telemedicine Association
http://www.americantelemed.org
The American Telemedicine Association is the leading resource and advocate promoting the use of telecommunications technology to deliver medical care. It brings together professionals from traditional medicine, academics, government, and technology and telecom companies. Membership is open to individuals, health care companies, and other organizations with an interest in the deployment of telemedicine.
Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMMS)
HIMMS is focused on transforming healthcare through the effective use of information technology and management systems. The organization leads healthcare public policy and industry practices through educational, professional development and advocacy initiatives. Membership is open to individuals and health care provider organizations.
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Health Care Quality Groups
Groups that provide education, professional development and best practices related to quality improvement efforts in the health care industry.American Health Quality Association
http://www.ahqa.org
This educational not-for-profit organization represents a national network of community-based Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs) and other professionals working to improve health care quality and patient safety. The group has working relationships with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the National Quality Forum, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission and major professional medical and health care associations.
National Association for Healthcare Quality
http://www.nahq.org
This professional association for individuals working in the health care quality field provides research, education, networking opportunities, certification, best practices resources, and career development and leadership resources. Members include executives, administrators, managers, analysts, consultants and researchers from all segments of the health care industry.
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Health Care Policy Groups
Membership-based groups that lobby for legislation and regulations to support and improve home health care.American Association for Homecare
http://www.aahomecare.org
AAHomecare represents home health care providers, equipment manufacturers, and other homecare organizations in legislative and regulatory arenas. It encourages members to take an active role in legislative matters by establishing ongoing relationships with their Members of Congress and state legislators and by participating in the AAHomecare PAC. The organization also provides information about compliance issues and industry trends and data; and sponsors forums for education and training, as well as networking opportunities.
Home Care Technology Association of America
http://www.hctaa.org
This organization was established by NAHC to advocate for the home care technology industry in Congress and in the health care industry at large; its activities center around legislative and political advocacy, as well as increasing awareness among health care providers. It provides education and information to home care providers about the benefits of technology to the delivery of patient-centered, cost-effective health care. Members include home health care providers; home care technology manufacturers, sellers and consultants; and others interested in promoting the use of home care technology.
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MEDICARE- AND MEDICAID-RELATED RESOURCES
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Serviceshttp://www.cms.hhs.gov/
Use the CMS site to get the information you need about Medicare and Medicaid PPS services, including provider enrollment, forms, regulations and guidance, statistics, educational tools, and more.
Medicare Quality Improvement Community (MedQIC)
https://www.qualitynet.org/dcs/ContentServer?pagename=Medqic/MQPage/Homepage
MedQIC is funded by CMS to share resources created by quality improvement organizations for home health providers. Part of QualityNet (see below), the MedQIC Web site is a free on-line resource providing quality improvement interventions and associated tools, toolkits, presentations, and links to other resources.
MedPAC
http://www.medpac.gov/
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) is an independent Congressional agency created to advise Congress on Medicare's traditional PPS program as well as payments to private health plans participating in Medicare. Additionally, MedPAC analyzes access to care, quality of care and other issues affecting Medicare, and shares its research with Congress. Check the MedPAC Web site for news and updates on proposed legislation that affects your business.
National Association of State Units on Aging
http://www.nasua.org NASUA represents the nation’s 56 officially designated state and territorial agencies on aging. It promotes social policy in the private and public sectors related to home and community based services for older adults and individuals with disabilities. The Web site features news and resources about its work, policy developments that affect home health providers, and more.
QualityNet
https://www.qualitynet.org
QualityNet was established by CMS to help improve the quality of health care for Medicare beneficiaries by providing a platform for the exchange of information between quality improvement organizations (QIOs), hospitals, physician offices, nursing homes, end stage renal disease (ESRD) networks and facilities, and vendors. The Web site – the only CMS-approved website for secure communications and data exchange – provides healthcare quality improvement news, resources, and data reporting tools and applications to health care providers.
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CLINICAL CARE RESOURCES
National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Councilhttp://www.npuap.org
This non-profit professional organization, led by experts from different health care disciplines, is dedicated to the prevention and management of pressure ulcers. It serves as a resource to health care professionals, government, the public and health care agencies, and supports efforts in public policy, education and research related to pressure ulcer prevention. The Web site provides news and information about its programs and activities, including national conferences and educational resources.
Institute for Safe Medication Practices
http://www.ismp.org/
This national, non-profit organization is dedicated to educating healthcare professionals about safe medication and medication error prevention. It promotes sharing of lessons learned and best practices through its Medication Errors Reporting Program (MERP), a voluntary and confidential error-reporting program; it also works with the pharmaceutical industry to prevent errors related to confusing or misleading naming, labeling, packaging and device design. Services for health care professionals include newsletters, educational programs, safety tools, consulting services and more.
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INDUSTRY NEWS & PUBLICATIONS
Fierce Healthcarehttp://www.fiercehealthcare.com/
This site provides daily news for healthcare executives. Topics include CMS news, health care reform, health care IT and mobile technologies, health care finance, health care management and more. Webinars and white papers are also available, and you can sign up for daily newsletters delivered to your inbox.
Healthcare Finance News
http://www.healthcarefinancenews.com
This business publication provides news related to health care financial management; it is aimed at CFOs, finance VPs, CEOs and other financial managers at hospitals, multi-hospital systems, medical/surgical clinics and group practices, ambulatory care facilities, nursing homes, extended care facilities and health care payers.
Healthcare IT News
http://www.healthcareitnews.com/
Published in partnership with HIMMS by the same company as Healthcare Finance News, this publication covers technology, IT strategies, IT vendors, regulatory issues that can affect data management, and more, for health care providers, payers, consultants and vendors.
ModernHealthcare.com
http://www.modernhealthcare.com
This site provides breaking news, podcasts, webinars and special reports related to events and trends in the health care industry. You can sign up for daily news alerts delivered to your inbox.
The New York Times’ Health Care Reform New Portal
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/diseasesconditionsandhealthtopics/...
Turn here when you need news about national health care reform. The portal provides an overview of the current state of health care reform efforts as well as links to New York Times articles and other resources.
The Remington Report
http://www.remingtonreport.com
Get news and information on hospitals and health systems, home care and post-acute services, health care IT, managed care, Medicaid, health care reform, health care industry trends and more. Free registration is required for full site access.
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