A Habit of Unity

Bryce Harlow, who was an adviser to three presidents and a lobbyist for many years in Washington, once said:

“If the business community would ever abandon its habit of dividing and conquering itself so as to save its adversaries the trouble — and replace it with the habit of unity — there would be no stopping us.”

This advice serves any community well, and the home care community is no exception: We are much stronger working together than working at odds with each other.

For instance, five years ago, the American Association for Homecare was four different associations with four different agendas and four different cultures, all working separately. Today, AAHomecare represents the most engaged and forward-thinking home care providers in America and internationally. An association is only as strong as its membership.

It’s also important to remember that the home care community cannot work in a vacuum. In addition to our members, AAHomecare works with dozens of other national associations and coalitions as well as individuals whose agendas overlap with ours. A partial list of partners includes:

• Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed)
• American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD)
• American Lung Association (ALA)
• American Medical Association (AMA)
• American Thoracic Society (ATS)
• CMS New Freedom Initiative
• Congressional COPD Caucus
• National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC)
• National Association for Medical Direction of Respiratory Care (NAMDRC)
• National Governors Association
• National Home Oxygen Patient’s Association (NHOPA)
• Restore Access to Mobility Partnership (RAMP)
• Visiting Nurse Associations of America (VNAA)

Washington is a close-knit community. Successful home care organizations work closely with other national associations, state government agencies, think tanks, policy makers and patient and caregiver advocates. Home care creates positive impacts in patients and in the community. We would be wise to remind policy makers about all of the benefits of home care for patients, families, local communities and taxpayers.

At its core, the home care community is about opportunity. Home care gives patients the opportunity to live in their own homes and receive the best care available. We need to ensure that providers have the opportunity to deliver home care to the growing demographics, and that manufacturers have the opportunity to bring innovations and equipment to the marketplace.

At the same time, providers must receive fair reimbursement. Home care is also about building and establishing new relationships with members of Congress, their staffs and other government officials. This gives us the opportunity to state exactly what we need from them in order to strengthen home care in America.

Home care is also about promise. Every day, we deliver on the promise to provide care with dignity and compassion to millions of Americans. The home care community delivers the promise of security, that the care will be delivered today and to millions more in the years ahead. Home care also holds great promise as a key solution to the nation’s health care crisis — all because we understand the demands that life brings to each and every family.

But delivering on this promise is much easier when we are working together, moving toward the habit of unity. With competitive bidding, accreditation and dozens of pricing and coverage issues in both Medicare and Medicaid ahead, it’s essential for all of us to stay informed and in touch with government officials who affect home care.

Remember that members of Congress will fight for us and for our patients — but only if they know who we are and what we provide to the community.

Kay Cox is president and CEO of the American Association for Homecare, Alexandria, Va. For more information about AAHomecare, visit www.aahomecare.org, or call 703/836-6263.