LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Home Hospital Home Health and St. Clare Home Health Care – both divisions of St. Elizabeth Regional Health – have been named to 2009 HomeCare Elite’s Top 500 Agency listing, a compilation of the most successful Medicare-certified home health care providers in the United States. This annual review identifies the top 500 agencies, ranked by an analysis of performance measures in quality outcomes, quality improvement and financial performance.

“Our staff members have worked incredibly hard over the past few years to accurately collect patient data and to use that data to improve our care models so that we can in turn improve clinical outcomes for our patients,” said Bea Lamb, R.N., MBA, regional director of Home Hospital Home Health Care and St. Clare Home Health Care. “I am proud to see our efforts produce measurable positive results and I thank each and every staff member for their hard work on behalf of our patients.”

The HomeCare Elite is the only performance recognition of its kind in the home health industry. The HomeCare Elite is provided by OCS, Inc., the leading provider of health care informatics and DecisionHealth, publisher of home care’s most respected independent newsletter Home Health Line.

Home Hospital Home Health Care and St. Clare Home Health Care serve Benton, Carroll, Clinton, Fountain, Montgomery, Putnam, Tippecanoe, Warren and White counties and can be reached by calling (765) 449-5046 or (765) 362-5114.

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Sisters of St. Francis Health Services Inc. and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Indiana inked a new multi-year contract on August 31st, one day ahead of the September 1st expiration date on the previous contract. This new agreement will maintain in-network health care benefits for policyholders and employer groups throughout Indiana.

Health insurance plans covered are Anthem Blue Access PPO, Anthem Blue Preferred HMO, Anthem Traditional, Anthem Medicare Advantage PPO, Lumenos, Hoosier Healthwise (Indiana Medicaid) and Anthem Healthy Indiana Plan.

The agreement covers the following SSFHS medical facilities and physicians:

• St. Elizabeth Regional Health in Lafayette;
• Home Hospital in Lafayette;
• St. Clare Medical Center in Crawfordsville;
• St. Francis Hospital & Health Centers in Indianapolis;
• St. Francis Hospital & Health Centers in Beech Grove;
• St. Francis Hospital & Health Centers in Mooresville;
• St. Anthony Medical Center in Crown Point;
• St. Anthony Memorial Health Center in Michigan City;
• St. Margaret Mercy Healthcare Center in Hammond;
• St. Margaret Mercy Healthcare Center in Dyer;
• Franciscan Physicians Hospital in Munster;
• Indiana Bone and Marrow Transplantation Unit in Beech Grove; and
• More than 300 physicians throughout the SSFHS service areas.

Health insurance plans covered are Anthem Blue Access PPO, Anthem Blue Preferred HMO, Anthem Traditional, Anthem Medicare Advantage PPO, Lumenos, Hoosier Healthwise (Indiana Medicaid) and Anthem Healthy Indiana Plan.

“We recognize how difficult this has been for our patients and appreciate their support and patience during the negotiations,” said Jay Brehm, SSFHS regional chief financial officer and chief negotiator for the hospital system. “The agreement we have forged, in the end, ensures our mission to provide patients with the timely and compassionate care they expect and deserve.”

“We are pleased to have reached this agreement with Sisters of St. Francis Health Services because it ensures that our customers will have uninterrupted, in-network access to medical care at SSFHS facilities across Indiana,” said David Lee, M.D., vice president of health services for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield. “This contract achieves our number one goal of keeping health care affordable for our members.”

LAFAYETTE and CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. — Medicines left unattended or disposed of carelessly are a danger, whether through accidental ingestion, illegal use, identity theft, or contaminated water supplies. Because of high demand and response from the community, the public can now safely dispose of expired or unwanted prescription and over-the-counter medications during “Operation: Medicine Cabinet” at two locations, one in Lafayette and a new location in Crawfordsville.

“Because of the overwhelming response from the public last year, Operation: Medicine Cabinet will be held in two communities this year,” said Chris Irons, event sponsor and owner of Home Instead Senior Care in Lafayette, which provides non-medical, in-home care and companionship for seniors.

Medicines, both prescription and over-the-counter, left unattended or disposed of carelessly are a danger, whether it’s through accidental ingestion, illegal use, identity theft, or contaminated water supplies.

Home Instead Senior Care is joining with St. Clare Medical Center, Crawfordsville Police Department, Indiana State Police and Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department for this one-day public awareness event scheduled for Saturday, May 2, in the parking lot of St. Clare Medical Center, 1710 Lafayette Rd., from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Also on Saturday, May 2, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., there will be a collection site in Lafayette in the parking lot of Home Instead Senior Care, 325 S. Earl Ave., Suite 3. Collection will be supervised by the Tippecanoe County Sheriff’s Department and properly incinerated at Pets Remembered Cremation Services, a division of the Hippensteel Family of Services.

The program not only helps educate the public on how proper disposal protects people and pets from accidental ingestion but also prevents illegal use of the drugs or theft of identity from prescription labels said Irons.

“Also, many residents flush their medications down the toilet or down a drain,” he said. “But our wastewater treatment system is not designed to remove these types of contaminants from the water supply.”

For more information, contact Irons at (765) 447-8800 or visit www.homeinstead.com/660.