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Caregiver Stories Event HCCIntel Uncategorized

Giving Begins at Home

“All those who provide care and comfort to people in their homes are privileged to witness the many ways in which ‘giving’ is expressed through families, caregivers, colleagues, and patients themselves,” offers Heather Hutchison, Chief Development Officer of the Home Centered Care Institute (HCCI).

As the holiday season approaches, we will be asked to give through our time and talents — and financially. GivingTuesday, a global day of giving, helps to remind us that we can give to a purpose, a cause, that reaches well beyond ourselves, like home-based primary care (HBPC). HBPC’s purpose is to care for those who are homebound or home-limited and this cause, by its very name, begins at home.

In the spirit of GivingTuesday, HCCI would ask you to share your stories of giving with us (while keeping HIPAA standards in mind, of course) so that they might be shared with others. It’s as easy as sending an email to [email protected] with “Giving Begins at Home” in the subject line. To inspire us all, we will consider these stories for sharing in our upcoming newsletters and through social media with the hashtag #HCCIgivingbeginsathome.

If you’re moved beyond the sharing of a story to support HCCI with a charitable gift for GivingTuesday, we would be grateful. Simply click here to make a donation that will make a real difference to patients and families who need us most, including educating providers and practices who bring health care to their homes.

Your meaningful and moving stories will remind us of the needs of others. Whether that story is about a caregiver being vulnerable enough to share their challenges with their visiting physician or nurse practitioner or about a patient expressing heartfelt gratitude to their caregiver.  Whether it’s about climbing three floors to visit a patient or listening to a story that’s been told many times before. A hand stretched out, a shoulder leaned on, a smile that warms the heart. All of these are stories about giving, stories that touch the lives of HBPC providers, practice leaders and operations staff.

“Wonderful and meaningful stories about giving are prevalent in our everyday lives and in the lives of those for whom we care,” added Hutchison. “We reflect on those stories for their inspiration. Yes, giving comes in many forms.”

Happy GivingTuesday!

 

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Press Releases

Home Centered Care Institute Awarded Grant to Bolster Home-Based Primary Care Workforce

The John A. Hartford Foundation grant to support education of providers and practices focuses on the most complex patients

SCHAUMBURG, IL, November 11, 2019 — The Home Centered Care Institute (HCCI) has been awarded a $385,000 grant to continue educating home-based primary care providers and practices by The John A. Hartford Foundation (JAHF). This award is part of a larger project, Moving and Scaling Home-based Primary Care Phase II: Quality, Training, and Advocacy, in which The John A. Hartford Foundation, a national private philanthropy dedicated to improving the care of older adults, is investing a total of $1.6M over the next three years.

The larger project also includes grants for a home-based primary care national practice directory being developed by the American Academy of Home Care Medicine (AAHCM) and a qualified clinical data registry and national learning collaborative for home-based primary care and palliative care through Massachusetts General Hospital and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. The overall goal of the three coordinated projects is to deliver measurably improved care that will lead to improved outcomes for home-limited patients and their caregivers.

Four million vulnerable adults in the U.S. have difficulty obtaining, or are completely unable to access, office-based primary care because they are frail, chronically ill, functionally limited and/or homebound or home-limited. These individuals often use the emergency room instead of visiting a primary care office, resulting in escalating costs and poor health outcomes.

“With 10,000 baby boomers turning 65 every day and our population living longer with more chronic diseases, home-based primary care provides the best solution for a growing number of patients. When home-based primary care is integrated into a value-based health care system, it both improves patient outcomes and lowers health care costs,” explains Dr. Thomas Cornwell, CEO of HCCI, founder of Northwestern Medicine’s HomeCare Physicians and a practicing house call doctor. “In terms of costs, the most complex patients are also often the highest utilizers of acute care, constituting the majority of the 5 percent of U.S. patients who account for 50 percent of health care costs nationwide.”

During the next three years, HCCI will work with key partners to further develop and deliver HCCI’s education and training offerings around clinical and practice management topics. These offerings include live workshops, and online courses and technical assistance, along with access to the HCCIntelligence™ Resource Center, provided at no charge and also funded in part by the grant from The John A. Hartford Foundation. The Resource Center includes webinars, virtual office hours, and a hotline, as well as tools and tip sheets. The three-year HCCI project will also focus on establishing HCCI Practice Excellence Partners™, leading house call programs across the country offering opportunities for shadowing.

“We are very pleased to once again have the support of The John A. Hartford Foundation,” Dr. Cornwell added. “With this grant, we will provide critical education for providers and practices throughout the country, which will ultimately result in more patients having access to the care they need. Most important, these are often patients who, if HBPC weren’t available, wouldn’t be seeing a primary care provider at all.”

“Home-based primary care is age-friendly care, and it’s a clear win for payers, providers, patients, and family caregivers,” said Terry Fulmer, PhD, RN, FAAN, president of The John A. Hartford Foundation. “We are proud to work with HCCI and our other partners to develop well-trained interdisciplinary primary care teams that help our most vulnerable older patients stay out of hospital and skilled nursing beds and exactly where they want to be… in the home.”

Home Centered Care Institute
The Home Centered Care Institute (HCCI) is a national non-profit organization focused on advancing home-based primary care to ensure that medically complex and homebound or home-limited patients have access to high-quality care in their home. HCCI works with leading academic medical centers, health systems and industry experts to raise awareness of and advocate for expanding the model by growing the home-based primary care workforce through education and training and developing a research-based model for sustainable house call program implementation and growth. For more information, visit www.hccinstitute.org and follow @HCCInstitute.

The John A. Hartford Foundation

The John A. Hartford Foundation, based in New York City, is a private, nonpartisan philanthropy dedicated to improving the care of older adults. Established in 1929, the Foundation has three priority areas: creating age-friendly health systems, supporting family caregiving, and improving serious illness and end-of-life care. For more information, visit www.johnahartford.org and follow @johnahartford

Media Contact:

James Warda
Home Centered Care Institute (HCCI)
[email protected]
847-204-2555

Categories
Press Releases

Physician and Researcher Recognized for Contribution to the Field of Home-Based Medical Care

American Academy of Home Care Medicine Presents Annual Awards:

  • Paul Chiang, MD, named “House Call Physician of the Year”
  • Aaron Yao, PhD, named “Researcher of the Year”

SCHAUMBURG, IL, November 7, 2019 — The American Academy of Home Care Medicine (AAHCM) recognized a physician and researcher for their contributions to the field of home-based primary care at the organization’s October meeting in Rosemont, IL.

AAHCM awarded its House Call Physician of the Year designation to Paul Chiang, MD, medical director and practicing physician of Northwestern Medicine’s HomeCare Physicians and senior medical & practice advisor for the Home Centered Care Institute (HCCI). The House Call Physician of the Year award is given to a physician member of the AAHCM who provides the highest quality of service and innovative programs, demonstrates excellence and has continued dedication to the field of house call medicine.

“Dr. Chiang has made more than 32,000 house calls to 2,900 patients in his 19-year career,” said Tom Lally, CEO and CMO of Bloom Healthcare in Colorado and the chair of AAHCM’s Annual Awards Committee, in announcing the award at the meeting. “He also enjoys teaching students, is passionate about bringing care to those who are homebound and was previously named one of the 50 ‘unsung heroes’ in the 50-year-history of Central DuPage Hospital. At the Home Centered Care Institute (HCCI),      Dr. Chiang helps develop curriculum, teaches providers, and presents locally and nationally on the need for and benefits of home-based primary care.”

“I’m deeply honored to be the recipient of this award,” Dr. Chiang said. “For me, it is really recognition of the entire field of house call providers who focus on bringing care to our patients, advancing the field and helping house call medicine become even more mainstream.”

The academy awarded its Dan Gilden Creative Investigator designation to Aaron Yao, PhD, lead researcher for HCCI. The Dan Gilden Creative Investigator award is given to a member of AAHCM whose research demonstrates innovation in all areas of their work as they help to advance home care medicine.

In announcing Dr. Yao’s award, Lally explained, “House call medicine cannot advance without continued investigation into improving the value that we all create for patients, payers and the community. That is why Dr. Yao’s work at HCCI, in addition to his work with Shandong University in China and the University of Virginia School of Medicine, has been so critical. In these roles, time and again, he has focused on increasing the availability and quality of home care.”

“I’m thankful to all of my mentors and colleagues,” Yao said. “I’m excited to work on improving home care medicine in the U.S. and internationally, especially for frail and homebound patients in low- and middle-income countries. Health care and science can build many bridges across people and nations and I’m proud to play a small role in helping us unite.”

“We’re very proud of Dr. Chiang and Dr. Yao,” added Dr. Thomas Cornwell, CEO of HCCI, founder of Northwestern Medicine’s HomeCare Physicians and a practicing house call doctor. “Together, they help us spread awareness about home-based primary care and build a workforce of providers and practices to make this model of care more accessible. In doing so, they bring a real commitment and caring to their work.”

“These awards represent the highest professional honor from our organization, selected by a committee of peers.” said Theresa Soriano, MD, MPH, president of AAHCM. “We are thrilled to be able to recognize and celebrate Dr. Chiang and Dr. Yao, who embody the dedication, advocacy and idealism that have helped our field grow and thrive over the last thirty years.”

Home Centered Care Institute
The Home Centered Care Institute (HCCI) is a national non-profit organization focused on advancing home-based primary care to ensure that medically complex and homebound or home-limited patients have access to high-quality care in their home. HCCI works with leading academic medical centers, health systems and industry experts to raise awareness of and advocate for expanding the model by growing the home-based primary care workforce through education and training and developing a research-based model for sustainable house call program implementation and growth. For more information, visit www.hccinstitute.org and follow @HCCInstitute.

American Academy of Home Care Medicine
AAHCM is a professional organization serving the needs of physicians, health professionals, and organizations committed to improving care of patients in the home. AAHCM delivers on the promise of interdisciplinary, high-value health care in the home for all people in need by promoting the art, science, and practice of home care medicine. The AAHCM membership is composed of physicians, medical directors, nurse practitioners, physician’s assistants, registered nurses, social workers, practice administrators, and residents/students working in the field of home care medicine. For more information on AAHCM, please visit www.aahcm.org.

Northwestern Medicine
Northwestern Medicine is the shared strategic vision of Northwestern Memorial HealthCare (NMHC) and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine to transform the future of healthcare and become a premier integrated academic health system. Each day, 33,700 clinical and administrative staff, medical and science faculty, and medical students come together with a shared commitment to superior quality, academic excellence, scientific discovery and patient safety. For more information, visit nm.org.

Media Contact:

James Warda
Home Centered Care Institute (HCCI)
[email protected]
847-204-2555