West Park Hospital Named to Top 100 of the 2013 HomeCare Elite

Cody, WY., November 15, 2013 — West Park Hospital today announced that it has been named to the Top 100 of the 2013 HomeCare Elite™, a recognition of the top-performing home health agencies in the United States. Now in its eighth year, the HomeCare Elite identifies the top 25 percent of agencies and highlights the top 100 and top 500 agencies overall. Winners are ranked by an analysis of publicly available performance measures in quality outcomes, best practice (process measure) implementation, patient experience (Home Health CAHPS®), quality improvement and consistency, and financial performance. In order to be considered, an agency must be Medicare-certified and have data for at least one outcome in Home Health Compare. Out of 9,969 agencies considered, 2,496 are elite.

The award is sponsored by OCS HomeCare by National Research Corporation, the leading provider of home health metrics and analytics, and DecisionHealth, publisher of the most respected independent newsletter in the home care profession, Home Health Line.

"The 2013 HomeCare Elite winners demonstrate a commitment to providing patient-centered care and serving as leaders in the home health community. Their success is a tribute that managing healthcare data and utilizing it for improvement initiatives lead to high quality care, and we recognize them for their outstanding achievements," said Mary Oakes, senior vice president of post-acute at National Research." "We congratulate West Park Hospital on being one of the top 100 home care agencies in the country."

West Park Hospital’s, Carol Wheeler, RN, Director of Home Health and Hospice, credits the multidisciplinary team and their coordination of care with the agency’s ability to achieve recognition as one of the HomeCare Elite. "We are fortunate to have a diverse staff with the expertise, high skill level, and experience to address all of our patients needs," said Carol Wheeler, Director.

"HomeCare Elite recognition is a significant acknowledgement. The shift from fee-for-service to pay-for-performance payment models is reshaping the healthcare profession. And home health is proving to be an integral part of the continuum. In the face of value-based purchasing and care delivery model changes, the metrics that make up HomeCare Elite methodology shine an accountable light on an industry that may be the lynch pin to achieving affordable care at home," said Marci Heydt, Product Manager for the post-acute care business group of DecisionHealth.

The entire list of 2013 HomeCare Elite agencies can be downloaded by visiting the National Research Corporation website at www.nationalresearch.com/homecareelite.

About West Park Hospital – Spirit Mountain Hospice

Spirit Mountain Hospice provides skilled home care services within a 50-mile radius with 24-hour on-call availability. The goal of our staff is to provide services that promote quality of life by restoring, maintaining and facilitating health.

A plan of care is developed for each patient according to individual needs and physician orders. This is a Medicare/Medicaid program that provides palliative comfort care rather than curative care. We rely on an interdisciplinary team of professionals – physicians, nurses, medical social workers and therapists, spiritual counselors, home care aides and volunteers who coordinate the individualized plan of care for each patient and family. Services are provided primarily in client's homes and include medical, emotional and spiritual care for terminally ill patients and their families. We strive to bring them comfort, peace and a sense of dignity at a very difficult time. Hospice reaffirms the right of every patient and family to participate fully in the final stages of life.

About National Research Corporation

For more than 30 years, National Research Corporation (NASDAQ: NRCIA and NRCIB) has been at the forefront of patient-centered care. Today, the company’s focus on empowering customer-centric healthcare across the continuum extends patient-centered care to incorporate families, communities, employees, senior housing residents, and other stakeholders.

Recognized by Modern Healthcare as the largest patient satisfaction measurement firm in the U.S., National Research is dedicated to representing the true voice of patients and other healthcare stakeholders. This integration of cross-continuum metrics and analytics uncovers insights for effective performance improvement, quality measurement, care transitions, and many other factors that impact population health management.

National Research is headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska. For more information, call 800.388.4264, write to info@nationalresearch.com, or visit www.nationalresearch.com.

About DecisionHealth®

For over 25 years, DecisionHealth has served as the home care industry’s leading source for analysis, guidance and tools that improve revenue cycle performance, profitability and regulatory compliance. Agencies nationwide turn to DecisionHealth for education and training, coding and billing solutions, and ongoing expert guidance through its family of subscription-based services. DecisionHealth also certifies home health agency professionals in coding and OASIS-C through its Board of Medical Specialty Coding & Compliance, and provides custom consulting services to agency leaders through its DecisionHealth Professional Services unit. For product information, call 1.855.CALL.DH1 or visit www.decisionhealth.com.