The Power of ‘Higher Level’ Home-Based Care Research

A recognizable name for home-based care is to change its marking to better reflect the work it is set to do in the near future for the space.

The Alliance for Home Health Quality and Innovation (AAHQI) is now the Research Institute for Home Care. But its mission will not change, according to its leaders. Instead, its goal is to increase its output to provide home-based care as an authoritative, independent source of research and information.

“My main priority is to increase our research activities tenfold,” Mark Baiada, who sits on the board of the Research Institute for Home Care as treasurer, told Home Health Care News.

Baiada is also the chairman and promoter of Bayada Home Health Care, a major provider of home health and personal care services in the U.S. and abroad.

AAHQI was founded in 2008. One of its best -known staples is the annual Home Health Chartbook, which provides information on home health users, industry trends, results and more.

In the 14 years since its launch, however, much has changed in home care. The overall knowledge of home-based care, technology, opportunities and challenges have all shifted.

“Our unique niche is trying to bring high-quality research facts to the field of home health care,” Baiada said. “It’s the only name that comes to our work, we need to be clear on what we’re doing. I don’t think anyone does it like we do. We’re trying to be a purposeful origin – something that works. of policy and providers and everyone can be trusted. ”

The rebrand also comes at a time when the Research Institute for Home Care is publishing another phase of its research. That research continues for a while, as these projects often have longer delay times from project start to completion.

Another aspect of the rebrand is getting more partners involved, Executive Director Jennifer Schiller told HHCN.

The Research Institute for Home Care is already partnering with organizations such as the Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare (PQHH), National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) and providers such as Bayada.

In general, anyone interested in advancing the home care mission is a welcome partner, Schiller said.

“I didn’t know I was surprised at the lack of information that was still available on home care,” she said. “But I think we have a chance to push things forward and immerse ourselves in more research. And we have the capacity to, hopefully, continue to grow as an organization, get new members to continue to fund research. at a higher level and really push the basic evidence that is lacking.

With new research and a few more potential funding partners, Schiller hopes to lead more research and pilot programs in new areas not previously covered by the institute.

Baiada added that the organization has seen an encouraging increase in the number of academic health care researchers submitting proposals for funded research.

“That’s why we’re tapping into a huge researcher base,” Baiada said. “But now, we are looking for more money to fund more research. And we are careful how we spend the money. We try to encourage more people to join it. As with any industry, you need to reinvest your knowledge base to sustain it. ”

Increased home care support and access

Various coalitions have been launched over the past two years to compete for better home care legislation in Washington, DC

For example, there is the Advanced Care and Home Coalition, which has a focus on home hospitalization and includes some of the largest healthcare systems in the country. There’s also Moving Health Home, which competes for home-based care in general and includes providers across the spectrum-from home care providers, to home health providers, to companies like Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN).

The existence of these coalitions confirms what Baiada and Schiller know as they discuss the future of research in their organization: that the people who make health care decisions-whether legislators, payers or potential clients – don’t always know what exactly can be, or should be. to do, at home.

“Some people are familiar with it, but we try to highlight the many unknown facts surrounding it,” Baiada said. “There are a lot of people working on their initial assumptions. So, like any other research, we’re trying to shed light on things for a better way forward. It’s like scientific questioning. in any field, we are just trying to bring it into the field of home health care.

And despite its partnerships, the Research Institute for Home Care is very serious about its stand-alone status.

Sometimes, there is some concern that the data and research that comes out in the field of home health care is self-promotion based on who provides it. For example, an agency that provides a payer or legislator with personal information may be viewed with skepticism.

In order for the industry to get the “seat at the table” of continuing health care and staying there, a shift away from self-promotion in all its forms is necessary, according to Baiada.

“It would be much better if we continued our research independence, because I think now [providers] It can be taken from their own agency or from trade associations, which are many times viewed as questionable, a self-promotion, ”says Baiada.“ So we try to be the target source. of truth and truth. “