Dear Editor:
I am a Registered Nurse and have worked in home care for the past 25 years. Home Health Care has changed tremendously over the years, some for the better and some for the worse. Bill A-3778/S-2662, Quality Home Care Act, is definitely the worst.
Governor McGreevey, with the support of Union 1199, believes this bill will revolutionize home care. I believe it will cause chaos among the frail, disabled and elderly that depend on Home Health Aide care to be maintained in their homes.
The Quality Home Care Act will require all home health aides to become part of a registry and when a patient needs home health aid services, they must pick from a list and interview, hire and supervise the aide themselves. A Registered Nurse will visit every six months with no guarantee it will be the same nurse every six months.
My question is when did the Medicaid regulations change? Who will do what we are and have been doing for the past 25 years? We abide by policy and procedures created by our accrediting organization and the State. We are surveyed every year by our accrediting organization and the State to ensure that we are in compliance with all Medicaid regulations, policies and procedures.
Who will survey Quality Home Care? Who will monitor home health aides’ requirements to work? Who will control the fraud and abuse that will occur because there is no supervision of these aides? How is a list of names going to help a patient choose an aide? Questions need to be answered such as distance to travel, care to be provided and experience of the aide to provide the care needed for the patient.
The Quality Home Care Act will not save money for the State but cost more money to provide less care. The State would have to hire a very high number of people to do the job that we are doing at our individual agencies.
This Quality Home Care Act is all about money and not quality care. It is about controlling the healthcare system to benefit the union and not assisting our elderly and frail population. Leave home care to the dedicated and caring individuals who make a difference in the lives of our patients.
Sincerely,
Rosemarie Howe, RN
Nursing Administrator
Interim Healthcare