A Conversation with Home Care & Hospice Association of New Jersey’s President & CEO Nancy Fitterer During the Ongoing COVID-19 Crisis

When the COVID-19 outbreak began in March, cases rose rapidly across the state of New Jersey. Now, as the virus continues to spread through communities, home health providers remain tireless in their work to protect patients, frontline home health workers, and the communities they serve. Home healthcare agencies are uniquely qualified to treat individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 due to their experience in caring for vulnerable populations with disabilities and multiple chronic conditions.

The Partnership recently spoke with Nancy Fitterer, President and CEO of the Home Care & Hospice Association of New Jersey, about the impact of COVID-19 on the home health community in New Jersey.

We asked Nancy the following questions:

• What are your overall observations about how the COVID-19 crisis has impacted home health patients and providers in New Jersey? (0:15)
• What are home health providers in New Jersey doing to reach at-risk populations who are most vulnerable to COVID-19? (4:16)
• What are some of the biggest barriers or issues frontline home health providers are reporting? (7:05)
• What more can Congress and the Administration do to support home health providers? (12:45)
• The lessons learned during the COVID-19 crisis will inform the future of healthcare delivery well past the pandemic. How do you think COVID-19 will change our healthcare system going forward? (15:52)
• Anything we haven’t covered that you’d like to add today? (19:52)

While Congress and CMS have taken significant steps to provide regulatory relief to enable expanded access to home health and ensure patient safety, more must be done to fully unleash home health in the fight against COVID-19. Send an email now asking your policymakers to optimize the use of home healthcare during the pandemic.