NAHC Commends 'Partnership for Patients' Initiative
Strong National Home Care System Critical to Patient Safety

WASHINGTON D.C. (April 13, 2011) – Val J. Halamandaris, president of The National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC), released the following statement in response to the unveiling of “Partnership for Patients,” a new public-private partnership effort to address the issue of patient safety:

“On behalf of America’s home care community, I commend Secretary Sebelius and Administrator Berwick for making patient safety a national priority. When it comes to delivering safe, cost-effective and high-quality health care, nowhere is there a more applicable environment than the home.

“Our nation’s home care, with its highly skilled health care professionals, is on the front lines making the transition from the hospital as safe and effective as possible while also offering the best protection against avoidable hospital readmissions. As HHS pointed out this morning, effective transition of patients from hospitalizations would save billions of dollars. Keeping patients at home, especially seniors and disabled persons, will significantly improve quality of care and reduce the financial burden on America’s broader health care system. Home care will be a key tool in helping the Initiative achieve its primary goals of cost containment and reducing readmissions.

“NAHC is committed to working alongside both Congress and the administration to help improve home care for millions of Americans. Keeping patients safe must be priority one, and we look forward to adding our thoughts to this discussion in the weeks and months ahead."

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 each year to some 10 million Americans who are infirm, chronically ill, disabled and dying. Along with its advocacy, NAHC is committed to excellence in every respect and provides information to help its members maintain the highest quality of care. To learn more about NAHC, visit www.nahc.org and www.caring.org.