WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 29, 2011) – Bobby Robertson, President & CEO of HEALTHCAREfirst
will join hundreds of colleagues in Washington D.C. to keep the fight alive for
the critical, high-value, high-quality care that is delivered every day to some
of the nation’s most vulnerable individuals.
HEALTHCAREfirst
is taking part in the annual March on Washington & Law Symposium Conference & Exposition
hosted by the National Association for Home Care & Hospice, March 27 through March
30 at the Renaissance Mayflower Hotel in DC. The event will address current hot
topics in health care legislation, regulatory matters, technology and hospice and
allow attendees to hear from more than 50 speakers, including senior political analyst
for CNN, David Gergen and former Director for the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, Julie Gerberding.
Bobby
Robertson, President & CEO of HEALTHCAREfirst will meet privately with members
of the Senate and Congress to educate them about home care’s ability to transform
and right a system out of balance, and what it means to patients across the United
States. “The March on Washington is a perfect opportunity for HEALTHCAREfirst
and others to fight for the rights of home health and hospice agencies, as well
as the millions of patients they provide for every day. I am proud to be a part
of this effort,” says Robertson.
While
2010 was an important year with the unprecedented health care reform bill, it is
essential to keep vigilant and educate members of Congress about home care’s ability
to transform and right a system out of balance, and what it means to patients across
the United States.
“We
can continue to waste precious resources on institutional care or we can embrace
proven solutions to meeting the health care needs of our growing senior population--home
health care and hospice services,” said Val J. Halamandaris, President of National
Association for Home Care & Hospice. “Not only is home care the right way to save
billions in Medicare expenditures, it is what our seniors need to meet their increasing
and complicated health care conditions. Our goal with this march is to educate elected
officials to avoid obstacles to this care.”
The
annual march comes at a time when $12 billion in Medicare cuts to the industry are
already planned over the next few years even though home care and hospice is more
cost effective, saving billions in Medicare expenditures. In 2009, the average home
care visit cost $135.00 per day versus the average hospital visit which cost $1500
a day. Preventive home health care saves Medicare and Medicaid billions of dollars
per year.
About HEALTHCAREfirst
HEALTHCAREfirst
provides leading-edge technologies that improve business and clinical functions
to over 1,400 home health care and hospice agencies across the United States. HEALTHCAREfirst
was one of the first home health care software vendors to recognize the industry’s
need for high quality software applications that are accessible over the internet.
Based in Ozark, MO and one of the fastest growing providers of its kind, the company
provides clients with web-available agency management software, electronic medical
record software, revenue cycle management software, billing services and coding
services that ensure technology is not a barrier to patient care, but a powerful
tool. HEALTHCAREfirst allows caregivers to focus on patients instead of paperwork.
For more information call 800.841.6095 or visit the company’s website at
www.healthcarefirst.com.
About NAHC
The
National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) is a nonprofit organization
that represents the nation’s 33,000 home care and hospice organizations. NAHC also
advocates for the more than two million nurses, therapists, aides and other caregivers
employed by such organizations to provide in-home services to some 10 million Americans
each year who are infirm, chronically ill, disabled and dying. Along with its advocacy,
NAHC provides information to help its members provide the highest quality of care
and is committed to excellence in every respect. To learn more about NAHC, visit
www.nahc.org and www.caring.org.