PORTLAND, ME, June 9, 2022 – LeadingAge, the association of nonprofit providers of aging services, announces the release of the National Healthcare at Home Best Practices and Future Insights Study results. LeadingAge collaborated with national accounting and consulting firm BerryDunn to conduct the yearlong effort collecting data from over 1,000 agency sites in the areas of clinical, operational, and financial best practices as well as technology, palliative care, staffing, and future deliveries of care. The data reveals actionable insights for agencies to advance their efforts and achieve optimal performance.  

“With over 400,000 data points, we have only begun to skim the surface on findings from this study,” said Lindsay Doak, Director of Research at BerryDunn and Co-Chair of the National Healthcare at Home Best Practices and Future Insights Study. “The goal is to continue to uncover exactly what is working for successful agencies and share those findings with providers throughout the aging services sector. Not only will this have a positive impact on home health and hospice agencies as we prepare for value-based care, but it will also have a tremendous impact on the US healthcare sector.” 

Initial top-line findings from the study include:  

• Home health agencies with registered nurse case manager caseloads under 25 have the highest Quality of Care and Patient Satisfaction Star Ratings.   
• Hospice agencies who admit their patients within four hours of receiving the referral have significantly higher family satisfaction scores than those who take longer.  
• A staggering 92% of agency respondents use telehealth, with 44% of those continuing to use telehealth after patient discharge for population health initiatives.  

“The data from this survey are truly groundbreaking—both in its depth, and in its reach, by providing insights from across the growing and diverse home health, home care and hospice sector. The result is a comprehensive, operational view of an evolving field, which comes at a critical time as care and services are in high demand,” said steering committee member Dr. Robyn Stone, senior vice president, research, LeadingAge, and co-director, LeadingAge LTSSCenter @UMass, Boston.

The comprehensive study results are available here. Future study data is expected to be released over the next six months and made available to survey participants in the study’s interactive web portal, as well as through state and national association sponsored presentations.  

The National Healthcare at Home Best Practices and Future Insights Study is sponsored by LeadingAge, National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC), Home Care Association of America (HCAOA), and Council of State Home Care Associations. The study was conducted by BerryDunn with HealthPivots and AlayaCare as data and technology advisors.  

We represent more than 5,000 nonprofit aging services providers and other mission-minded organizations that touch millions of lives every day. Alongside our members and 38 state partners, we use applied research, advocacy, education, and community-building to make America a better place to grow old. Our membership, which now includes the providers of the Visiting Nurse Associations of America, encompasses the continuum of services for people as they age, including those with disabilities. We bring together the most inventive minds in the field to lead and innovate solutions that support older adults wherever they call home. For more information visit leadingage.org.