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35 years of Change
During the past 35 years, the VNA of Indiana County has been committed to responsively growing our services based on identified needs of our community. We have been transformed by scientific, technological and social changes. Listed below by the year of accomplishment is a brief overview of our history.
1960s
1965: Congressional legislation providing Medicare and Medicaid health care coverage to the over 65 population. Home health services would be able to be provided under the sweeping new legislation.
1967: Group of community leaders of Indiana County met to discuss formation of a "VNA" for Indiana County.
1967-1970: Task force continued to work and on October 13, 1970 first home visit was made.
1970s
1970-1971: Skilled nursing and Physical Therapy services provided through contractual arrangements with Indiana Hospital. Mrs. Ann Heimer, RN was hired as the first Executive Director.
1971-1972: VNA of Indiana County was certified as a Medicare provider on June 29, 1971.
1973: VNA nursing staff began doing venipuncture at home for laboratory testing.
1975: Mrs. Oscie Huhr, RN was hired as Executive Director. Funding was provided through the County Human Services Department to begin provision of home health aide service.
1975-1976: Additional grant monies for home health aide services were received from the Area Agency on Aging.
The growing agency moved to larger quarters, the parsonage of the First Baptist Church of Indiana at 912 Church Street.
1976-1977: Mrs. Norma Killilea, RN was hired as Executive Director.
1977-1978: Long range planning focused on the need to add social work, speech and dietary services as additional home health services.
1979: Connie Young, RN was hired as Executive Director in October of 1979.
1980s
1980: The agency moved once again to even larger quarters at the Airport Office and Professional Center. Contracted with Keystone Rehabilitation Systems for physical therapy services.
1980-1981: Went "on-line" with the Delta computer system for billing, data collection, accounts receivable, payable and payroll.
1982: Began an enterostomal therapy program with the help of our educational grant from the Indiana Chapter of the American Cancer Society.
1982-1983: Community leaders come together once again as they had in the late 1960s to begin planning for the development of a hospice program in Indiana County.
1984-1985: Organizational growth and restructuring took place, Family Hospice received Medicare certification on May 14, 1985. Through contractual relationship with Indiana Hospital, added Occupational Therapy. Developed and implemented an in-house I.V. therapy program.
1985-1986: Stringent Medicare guidelines and retroactive denials of payments for services created havoc and caused grave concerns throughout the nation that home care would not survive.
1986-1987: The denial crisis continued. Plans were finalized for the provision of Maternal/Child health services. Family Hospice received national accreditation by JCAHO.
1987-1988: Added the position of Staff Development/Quality Assurance Coordinator. The denial crisis eased and many previous denials were reversed on appeal to administrative law judges.
1988-1989: Developed and implemented the services of rehabilitative nursing. The agency began recovering Medicare payments which had been improperly denied.
1989-1990: A revision of Medicare Home Health coverage rules resulted in a large expansion in coverage of home health services. There followed a record number of home care visits, need for additional staff members and increased need for space.
The agency again moved to the 119 Professional Center to accommodate the growth.
1990s
1990-1991: The move to the office at the 119 Professional Center provided 6,890 sq. ft. of office space. In conjunction with the move, the VNA/Hospice Foundation conducted our first ever capital campaign and raised over $100,000 to upgrade equipment and furnishings.
1992-1993: A planned merger between the VNA and Family Hospice was completed. VNA's Christmas Parade float "Home for the Holidays" depicted VNA's role in keeping families together during the holidays and throughout the year. The float took first price in its division.
1993-1994: VNA opened a branch office in Clymer to better serve the residents of Northern Indiana County. Our first publication of the newsletter, "At Your Door" was completed and in the mail.
1994-1995: The Executive Board of the VNA embarked upon a strategic plan addressing two major issues: self preservation and expansion of services. Psychiatric home nursing and enterostomy therapy were added to the continuum of care.
1995-1996: An affiliation agreement was entered into by the VNA and Indiana Hospital. The VNA remains a free standing entity but with partial ownership by Indiana Hospital. A new corporation, VNA Extended Home Care is formed. This new private duty, private pay company was founded to meet the unmet chronic long term care needs of the residents of Indiana County.
1997-1999: The federal agency that operates Medicare changed the way it pays home health care providers in compliance with the 1997 Balanced Budget Act. While the Health Care Financing System formulated a new system, home care agencies are placed under an interim payment system. This system was not enough to cover costs in many agencies and 1/3 of all home care agencies closed their doors. VNA cut service cost and reduced staff by 20%.
1999-2000: VNA of Indiana County survives the "interim payment system" and enters into a new prospective payment system (PPS). This new system will be based on patient need as assessed by the nursing staff and placed into a complicated Medicare formula. Hospice services as well as VNA Extended Home Care services are experiencing dramatic growth.
2000
2001: Agency successfully transitions home health services to the "PPS system." Connie Young retires after 22 years as Executive Director and Linda Bettinazzi, Hospice Director, is hired as new Executive Director of VNA, Hospice and VNA Extended Home Care.
A new branch office offering hospice services to residents of Jefferson County is opened in the office of Punxsutawney Home Health.
CHAP (Community Health Accreditation Program) obtained by VNA, voluntary, nationally recognized accreditation of home health agencies.
In November of 2001, VNA becomes one of the first home health agencies in the county to provide a telehealth program which remotely monitors patient status in on an every day basis.
2002: Due to growing concerns regarding impending staff shortages in health care, VNA is instrumental in development of a county wide "Health Care Career Consortium." Growth of telehealth program continues.
2003: In an effort to provide increased continuity of services, a decision is made to move all services to one location. VNA moves to office space in the Herbert Hanna, M.D. Oncology Center Medical Arts building on campus of Indiana Regional Medical Center.
In partnership with Indiana Regional Medical Center the VNA establishes a Palliative Care program.
2004: Merger of VNA/Hospice Foundation into the VNA is completed. Strategic planning and staff education regarding the need to increase capacity to care and ensure funding to do so.
2005: 35th Anniversary of VNA; 20th Anniversary of Hospice; 10th Anniversary of VNA Extended Home Care. Continued growth and expansion of services.
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