Since its founding in 1993, the Center for Home Care Policy & Research at VNS Health has occupied a unique position as America’s only research institution operated by a home health care organization. During this time, the center’s investigators have published over 400 peer-reviewed papers and its research has been supported by over $60 million in government and foundation grants.
Today, three decades after its launch, the center’s impact can be seen around the world, from the many strategies VNS Health researchers have developed to prevent rehospitalizations and improve care management quality, to their work with government officials at the state and national level to implement new home care policies—which has included designing Medicare and Medicaid models that directly influenced federal and state payment reforms. (See page 1 for an article on the center’s latest innovative research, exploring the use of speech-processing technology for early detection of health conditions.)
“Through our focus on investigating evidence-based practices, we’ve been able to help home care organizations in the U.S. and across the globe maximize the effectiveness of the care they provide,” notes Dr. Kathryn Bowles, Director of the VNS Health Research Center and Professor and van Ameringen Chair in Nursing Excellence at the University of Pennsylvania. “In today’s health care landscape, as the industry pivots more and more to home-based care, I believe our work is more essential than ever.”
