VNA & Hospice of Northern Berkshire earns high marks in Hospice survey
NORTH ADAMS - The Visiting Nurse Association & Hospice of Northern Berkshire, Inc. recently completed a “deficiency free” Massachusetts Department of Public Health survey for its Hospice program.“This survey validates the work that is done every day by the members of our home health and hospice team,” said Wendy Dubis, Executive Director. “Our deficiency free status for this survey, as well as a home care survey conducted in March, shows that we provide the highest quality of care to our patients while paying attention to the details of rules and regulations.”
Conducted by a team of two surveyors from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Division of Health Care Quality, the surveys seek to ensure that the Conditions of Participation (COP) for hospice agencies to participate in the Medicare program are being met. The COPs are a set of regulations designed to ensure safe and effective care.
The outcome-oriented survey process places emphasis on the effects of the hospice’s performance on the patients receiving hospice services and directs a substantial amount of its focus on the services the hospice is providing to its patients. The surveyors also examine the agency’s structure and processes contributing to the quality of these services.
The survey assessment was made concurrently through observation, interviews, and home visits. Also included was a review of patient records, agency policies and procedures, personnel files, documentation of staff training and/or competency evaluations, governing body oversight, and the agency performance improvement plan. After three days of intense survey, VNA & Hospice of Northern Berkshire, Inc. was found to be in full compliance with all the regulatory Federal requirements.
Richard Palmisano, president and CEO of Northern Berkshire Healthcare, congratulated the VNA & Hospice staff, adding “They are to be applauded for their commitment to providing quality care to the patients and families they serve.”
The VNA & Hospice of Northern Berkshire is a subsidiary of Northern Berkshire Healthcare, whose family of health care providers also includes North Adams Regional Hospital, Sweet Brook Transitional Care & Living Centers, Sweetwood Continuing Care Retirement Community, and the REACH Community Health Foundation. For more information on the VNA & Hospice, call (413) 664-4536. For NBH and its subsidiaries, call (413) 664-5000.
