Oak Crest, the Erickson Living retirement community, announced that it has been named to the Top 500 of the 2016 HomeCare Elite®, a recognition of the top-performing home health agencies in the United States.  For more than ten years, HomeCare Elite has annually identified the top 25 percent of agencies and highlights the top 100 and top 500 agencies overall. 

The ranking is developed by ABILITY® Network, a leading information technology company helping providers and payers simplify the administrative and clinical complexities of healthcare; and sponsored by DecisionHealth, publisher of: Home Health Line, The Complete Home Health ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Coding Manual and The Home Health Coding Center.

“Improving quality of care and the patient experience continue to underpin a rapidly evolving healthcare environment,” said Christine Lang, Senior Director, Product Management, for ABILITY Network. “At the same time tracking, measuring and interpreting data that support these efforts is becoming more complex. The 2016 HomeCare Elite winners have demonstrated the highest-quality care in their communities, which is a remarkable achievement. We congratulate Oak Crest on being one of the top 500 home care agencies in the country.”

Robin Keeler, Home Health Administrator at Oak Crest, oversees a team of 20 health care professionals who make approximately 500-600 monthly visits to residents.

“Making the HomeCare Elite Top 500 is a tremendous honor rooted in many factors,” stated Mrs. Keeler.  “Monthly staff education initiatives, coordination with other disciplines such as doctors and social workers, and extensive quality assurance and improvement programs are just a few of the things that help us stand out amongst our peers.  Most importantly, we are privileged to have a dedicated, experienced team of professionals who truly believe in our values and work to ensure that our residents are living better lives.”

“We are proud to recognize the top 500 HomeCare Elite agencies for demonstrating a commitment to improving quality patient care at low costs. The clinical best practices and data tracking skills these agencies have implemented can position them for future success in government programs such as value-based purchasing and star ratings,” said Marci Heydt, Senior Content Manager, DecisionHealth.

Winners are ranked by an analysis of publicly available performance measures in quality outcomes, best practice (process measure) implementation, patient experience (Home Health CAHPS®), quality improvement and consistency, and financial performance. In order to be considered, an agency must be Medicare-certified and have data for at least one outcome in Home Health Compare. Out of 9,406 agencies considered, 2,353 are recognized on the 2016 HomeCare Elite winners list overall.

The entire list of 2016 HomeCare Elite agencies can be downloaded by visiting the ABILITY Network website at abilitynetwork.com/homecare-elite/.

About Oak Crest:  Oak Crest is one of nineteen continuing care retirement communities managed by Erickson Living.  Located in Parkville, Maryland the scenic 87-acre campus is home to more than 2,100 residents.  Oak Crest is the ideal greater Baltimore retirement destination offering a true sense of community, convenience beyond compare and a sensible financial structure. 

About ABILITY Network:  ABILITY® Network is a leading healthcare information technology company helping providers and payers simplify the administrative and clinical complexities of healthcare through innovative applications and data analytics. ABILITY is headquartered in Minneapolis with principal offices in Boston and Tampa. For more information visit www.abilitynetwork.com or write to resources@abilitynetwork.com.  

About DecisionHealth®: For over 30 years, DecisionHealth has served as the home care industry’s leading source for analysis and tools to improve revenue cycle performance, profitability, regulatory compliance and quality patient care. Agencies nationwide turn to DecisionHealth for education and training, coding and billing solutions, and ongoing expert guidance through its family of online products, print solutions, and live training events. DecisionHealth also certifies home health agency professionals in ICD-10 coding and OASIS-C2 through its Board of Medical Specialty Coding & Compliance (BMSC), and provides custom consulting services to agency leaders through its DecisionHealth Professional Services unit. For product information, call 1-855-CALL-DH1 or visit www.decisionhealth.com.