​Both new and established home care agencies alike can relate to the struggle many business owners face: we spend so much time IN our business that we don’t have time to spend ON our business. HCAOA wants to help...reserve one hour a month to think strategically about your business. Join HCAOA on December 16 at 3:00 ET/12:00 PT for a special 90-minute webinar to kick off Agency Momentum – a NEW members-only benefit for 2021 featuring a specially curated series of monthly webinars for agency owners and staff covering the key pillars of agency management.

​HCAOA members are invited to participate in a free webinar to discuss several unique and evolving issues tied to the COVID-19 vaccine, including requests to be excused from vaccination programs based on (1) religious beliefs, practices, or observances under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act or (2) medical conditions and/or disabilities covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and benefits-related issues, including encouraging vaccinations as part of an employer’s wellness program. 

​Rep. Eileen Cody is proposing a bill for the 2021 legislative session to allow for more flexibility in hospitals, but it will also impact most nurse delegation settings. The HCAOA Washington Chapter lobbyist is proposing an amendment that clarifies the distinction between home care and home health agencies. The proposed language is to be placed in Section 1 (3)(d)(iv).

The newest issue of HCAOA’s quarterly magazine The Voice is out now – just in time for the holidays. This issue is packed with helpful information, including CDC recommendations for celebrating the holidays safely and what the Biden Administration has planned for home care. The issue also includes insights about the home care industry from those on the outside and information about the vaccine distribution plan. Share this helpful resource with your staff, caregivers, and clients!

​As part of National Home Care and Hospice, the Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts, collected first-hand stories from home care agencies – including several HCAOA members! – about the front-line challenges they faced, and how they overcame them. The stories were collected into a single podcast and read by middle school drama students. An interesting listen for your next commute!

On December 8, Pittsburgh’s City Council unanimously passed a Temporary COVID-19 Paid Sick Leave Ordinance, which Mayor Peduto signed on December 9. The Ordinance, which took effect immediately, requires employers with 50 or more total employees to provide up to 80 hours of paid “COVID-19 Sick Time” in addition to any leave employers provide to their employees, with very limited exceptions. 

​The U.S. Department of Labor announced that it plans to comply with a new U.S. district court order ruling that the agency violated the Administrative Procedure Act by failing to engage in the proper rule-making process for a new interim final rule (IFR) that implemented significant and immediate increases in prevailing wage rates for skilled foreign workers. The court order, issued December 1, 2020, is effective nationwide and sets aside the IFR in its entirety, which had raised wage rates precipitously (tripling minimum wage rates for certain locations and occupations).

The Home Care Insider will not be published on December 23 and 30. If any urgent issues arise, HCAOA will be in touch via email. We wish happy holidays to all members!

​While 2020 has proven that any predictions can be easily washed away, the events of this year elevated the global home health care industry into a position of great importance. We must have increasingly robust and honest conversations about where home care is headed, so that agencies and clients are set up for success and better outcomes in 2021 and beyond. 

​All HCAOA memberships expire on December 31 - that’s just two weeks away! This has been a challenging year, to say the least, and we are looking forward to a happier, healthier 2021. Renew your membership today to continue your organization’s access to the largest network of home care providers in the country, and all of the benefits and perks that come along with it, including...

​HCAOA confirmed last week with the South Carolina Department of Health & Environmental Control that licensed home care workers are included in Phase 1A of the state’s COVID vaccine plan. Hospitals treating COVID patients receive the first vaccines, and the home care and nursing homes are next. 

​Realizing the desire of HCAOA members to provide care to our nation’s veterans, HCAOA recently created the VA Advisory Services Council to advocate to VA and its contractors for efficient processes for provider enrollment, billing and referrals. The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs Office of Community Care started implementing a new VA Community Care Network (VACCN) of providers in 2018 as directed by the VA Mission Act. Optum Federal Health Services was contracted to build a provider network in the eastern U.S. (CCN Regions 1, 2 and 3) and Triwest Health Net was contracted to build the provider network in the western U.S. (Regions 4 and 5).

​Last Friday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccine for individuals 16 years of age and older. This EUA represents the first vaccine authorized for the prevention of COVID-19. 

​The Florida Department of Health is gathering vitally important information for vaccination planning purposes. Help HCAOA help the Department by completing a quick survey by Thursday, December 17 at 12:00 p.m. ET. This information will be integral to our ongoing advocacy activities as it relates to ensuring that home care agencies receive priority status for the COVID-19 vaccine. All data will remain confidential, and will only be used in the aggregate.

​The Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike provided a detailed breakdown last week of how Illinois’ vaccine distribution will work. Illinois expects to receive 109,000 doses the week following the FDA’s Dec. 10 meeting, if approved. A portion, 23,000 doses, have been specifically earmarked for Chicago as a major population center in the state.