Vermont Business Magazine The members of the VNAs of Vermont (VNAVT), the not-for-profit VNAs and Home Health and Hospice Agencies in the state, have been selected as pilot agencies for the Medicare Care Choices Model (MCCM) demonstration grant which will allow the agencies to provide extensive palliative care and care management services to patients who qualify for hospice care but chose not to enroll in the hospice program.
“This is especially good news for terminally ill Vermonters who are seriously ill but, for a variety of reasons, choose not to enroll in our hospice programs,” said Peter Cobb, VNAs of Vermont Executive Director. This model will allow them to receive select hospice services while continuing to receive curative care services concurrently which are not allowed under the hospice rules.”
The program will provide home-based care management, care coordination, and palliative care services to eligible beneficiaries with emphasis on patients with Congestive Heart Failure (CHF), Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and diabetes.
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovations plans to phase in the program startingJanuary 1, 2016. The second phase will start January 1, 2018. Hospices were randomly assigned to phase 1 or phase 2. Seven VNAs of Vermont members were selected for phase 1 and two for phase 2. (See list below)
“Care for the terminally ill has been a key component of the services provided by the VNAVT members for many decades and all members provide both hospice and palliative care services to their communities.” Cobb said. Five of the ten VNAVT member agencies were part of the original Medicare Hospice Demonstration in 1979. According to Cobb, all offer the full continuum of home and community-based care, a full spectrum of rehabilitation services and palliative care for patients with life threatening illnesses. All have strong social service, bereavement and volunteer supports as well as strong relationships with pharmacies, hospitals, ACOs, DME vendors, ambulance companies and other community service providers.
“There is a lot of work to do to get this program ready to accept patients,” Cobb said. “We need to inform physicians, advocates, patients and families about this opportunity. Statewide protocols will be developed including quality measures and reporting. Our plan is to enroll the first patients in about five months.” One of the most important features of the program, Cobb said, is that it is statewide. “Every Vermonter in need of these services will have access to them.”
Kathy Demars, Executive Director for the Lamoille Home and VNAVT President agreed. “Our goal is to provide, on a statewide basis, team-based supportive care and care management focused on providing relief from uncontrolled pain, overwhelming suffering and the stresses that accompany illness. We are confident that our program will improve the quality of care delivered, improve patient, family, provider communication, support disease specific advance care planning, ensure quality care in the home setting and optimize and promote efficient use of health care resources.” The patients who will be served in this program are at highest risk of repeated medical crises, hospitalization, symptom distress, family caregiver stress, and unnecessary medical expenditures, according to Jen Beebe, Hospice Director for the Lamoille agency. “Our aim is to help them and their families identify their goals and select, early in the disease process and in concert with their primary care physician, a suitable, patient-centered, effective plan of care. We believe this program will improve the quality of life for our patients, improve coordination of care and services, increase patient and family satisfaction, and reduce costs,” Beebe said.
About VNAs of Vermont: The VNAs of Vermont is the professional association that represents Vermont’s 10 Visiting Nurse Associations and not-for-profit home health care and hospice providers.