New Online New York State Home Health and Hospice Profile

Need home health care services? Looking for hospice care? A new New York State Web site has information on these services statewide, with key quality measures listed to help people find appropriate care for themselves and their loved ones.

State Health Commissioner Richard F. Daines, M.D. today unveiled the New York State Home Health and Hospice Profile Web site designed for users to easily obtain important information on home care and hospice services.

"The new Home Health and Hospice Profile will provide the public with accurate and reliable information about state-certified home health agencies, long-term home health care programs, hospice programs and licensed home care services agencies," Commissioner Daines said. "This will help people needing home care or hospice services and their families to make better decisions when choosing care. The Web site is a new tool that New Yorkers can use to informed decisions, simplifying the health care decision process to make it easier and more effective."

Michael J. Burgess, Executive Director of the New York State Office for the Aging, said, "This new Web site will be of great assistance to the elderly, and in many cases their family members, who need accurate and up-to-date information about the services they may require to remain independently in their homes or communities of choice -- especially when dealing with very difficult health care decisions."

"New Yorkers age 50+ overwhelmingly prefer to receive long-term care services for themselves or a family member through home care and community-based services rather than institutional care," said Marilyn Pinksy, AARP New York State President. "This consumer-centered Web site will provide vital information to ensure that New Yorkers make educated choices about their quality of services and quality of life."

The Web site will enable the public to:

• Learn about the types of home care and hospice services that are available that would best meet their needs or their family's needs;
• Easily search for home care agencies or hospice programs of interest by name, region or county;
• Obtain readily important contact information on providers and programs;
• Compare certified home health agencies on the basis of up to 12 quality measures and
• Obtain important and up-to-date information regarding certified home care agency and hospice program inspection reports and complaint investigation history, as well as recent DOH enforcement actions.

Consumers can also use this information to begin conversations with their doctors and other health care providers about their home care options. The goal of this Web site is to provide a needed service to New Yorkers and their families and caregivers who have had very little detailed information readily available to them to identify and compare local home care providers and review their inspection records.