Visiting Nursing Association expands to Livingston County
GENESEO – The Visiting Nursing Association (VNA) of Western New York (WNY) has expanded its services into Livingston County, making the home health agency available in 10 counties in WNY.
The Livingston County VNA, located at 4245 Lakeview Road in Geneseo, opened on August 1, 2014, and has 17 local employees. The Geneseo office has seen great success since its recent opening, receiving more than 150 referrals and more than 1,700 visits in less than four months.
“We are very pleased with the success we have seen in such a short period of time,” said Peggy Weissend, Livingston County manager. “We strive every day to provide the best home care possible, and it is great to see the community is welcoming us and values our organization. We hope to continue growing our services here.”
Despite the fact VNA is the largest home health care provider in WNY, Weissend said VNA prides itself on having local employees. “Each office is able to provide its community the opportunity to obtain local care due to its vast coverage.”
The VNA’s most recent expansion into Livingston County allows local employees to provide home health care to individuals in their own community. All VNA caregivers earn quality care ratings that meet or exceed state and national benchmarks.
The VNA offers a full range of services including pediatric and adult skilled nursing and therapies, chronic disease management, home infusion therapy, mental health care, obstetrical services, telehealth and personal care, as well as personal response systems.
In addition to its Livingston County expansion, the VNA was recently named to the Top 100 of the 2014 HomeCare Elite™, a recognition of the top-performing home health agencies in the United States. This year’s HomeCare Elite ranking is a move up for the VNA, as the organization previously was ranked in the top five percent in 2012 and 2013. No other home health provider in New York State was ranked in the Top 100.
“To know that the VNA is the only agency in New York State ranked in the top one percent in the country is both humbling and rewarding,” said Judy Baumgartner, president of the VNA. “Our team consistently strives to provide the highest level of care and service for all of our patients. This recognition is a testament to the focus and commitment at VNA to providing the highest quality patient care to the communities we serve.”
Now in its ninth year, the HomeCare Elite identifies the top 25 percent of agencies and highlights the top 100 and top 500 agencies overall. 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 9,994 agencies considered, 2,501 are elite.
The award is sponsored by OCS HomeCare by National Research Corporation, the leading provider of home health metrics and analytics, and DecisionHealth, publisher of the most respected independent newsletter in the home care profession, Home Health Line.
About the VNA The VNA is the largest home health agency in WNY, serving more than 25,000 patients annually with more than 475,000 home visits. Founded in 1885, the VNA of Western New York was the first visiting nursing organization in America. Since then, they have become one of the oldest charities in the nation and remain the largest home health agency in the Western New York region.
Key facts and figures about the VNA of WNY:
Over 1,000 employees
98 percent patient satisfaction
Average daily census (all services) – 7,000 patients
Annual home visits – 475,000
Community immunization program providing 20,000 shots per season
97 percent referral source satisfaction
The VNA currently provides services to residents in 10 WNY counties including Erie, Niagara, Orleans, Genesee, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Allegany, Livingston, Wyoming and Steuben.