Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts Applauds Passage of ‘Nurse Delegation’ Bill by State Senate
Legislation to Improve Home Health Services Moves on to Massachusetts House of Representatives.
Boston, MA, June 24, 2010 --(PR.com)-- The Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts is applauding the passage of a bill by the Massachusetts Senate that would improve the efficiency of home health services and is urging the House to follow suit. S.860, An Act Relative to Home Health Aides, would improve the efficiency of home health services in a period in which there is a shortage of nurses and an increasingly aging population.
“This bill would greatly help home health and hospice patients get the timely care and medication they need,” said Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts Executive Director Patricia Kelleher. “We are urging Speaker DeLeo and the House to follow the Senate in passing this bill so that a major barrier keeping home health and hospice aides from administering any type of medication is removed.”
Known as the Nurse Delegation Bill, Senate Bill 860 presents a solution of how to more effectively care for home health and hospice patients and assist them with often complex medication regimens. The legislation itself would refine the state’s Nurse Practice Act (NPA) to allow the administration of certain medications to a home health patient by a trained and certified home health aide under the supervision of a nurse.
The bill also requires that home health agencies provide training and establish documentation protocols according to the nurse delegation model developed by the National Council of State Nursing Boards. Such regulations, according to the bill, will be drafted by the Board of Registration in Nursing in collaboration with the state’s Department of Public Health and with nursing input.
The New England Healthcare Institute (NEHI) conducted a study pointing out that a lack of medication adherence costs the national healthcare system $290 billion in avoidable costs such as unnecessary hospital readmissions. S.860 would come at no cost to the state and would help the system save money by helping to manage those medications while ensuring that nurses are utilized where their experience is most needed.
About the Home Care Alliance:
With a mission to unite people and organizations to advance community health through care and services in the home, the Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts is a non-profit trade association and advocacy group providing representation, education, communication, advocacy and – ultimately – a voice for the state’s home health industry. Founded in 1969, the Alliance has grown to represent 170 home health and home care organizations. For more information, visit www.thinkhomecare.org.
###
“This bill would greatly help home health and hospice patients get the timely care and medication they need,” said Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts Executive Director Patricia Kelleher. “We are urging Speaker DeLeo and the House to follow the Senate in passing this bill so that a major barrier keeping home health and hospice aides from administering any type of medication is removed.”
Known as the Nurse Delegation Bill, Senate Bill 860 presents a solution of how to more effectively care for home health and hospice patients and assist them with often complex medication regimens. The legislation itself would refine the state’s Nurse Practice Act (NPA) to allow the administration of certain medications to a home health patient by a trained and certified home health aide under the supervision of a nurse.
The bill also requires that home health agencies provide training and establish documentation protocols according to the nurse delegation model developed by the National Council of State Nursing Boards. Such regulations, according to the bill, will be drafted by the Board of Registration in Nursing in collaboration with the state’s Department of Public Health and with nursing input.
The New England Healthcare Institute (NEHI) conducted a study pointing out that a lack of medication adherence costs the national healthcare system $290 billion in avoidable costs such as unnecessary hospital readmissions. S.860 would come at no cost to the state and would help the system save money by helping to manage those medications while ensuring that nurses are utilized where their experience is most needed.
About the Home Care Alliance:
With a mission to unite people and organizations to advance community health through care and services in the home, the Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts is a non-profit trade association and advocacy group providing representation, education, communication, advocacy and – ultimately – a voice for the state’s home health industry. Founded in 1969, the Alliance has grown to represent 170 home health and home care organizations. For more information, visit www.thinkhomecare.org.
###
Contact
Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts
James Fuccione
617-482-8830
www.thinkhomecare.org
James Fuccione
617-482-8830
www.thinkhomecare.org
Contact
Categories