A special message from the OCHCH Board Chair.

As I write this State of the Council message, I’m thrilled to share the incredible momentum that has enveloped the Council following the resounding success of the 2023 Annual Conference. The atmosphere at the Council brims with enthusiasm, energy, and optimism not only within our office walls but also among our member agencies and national partners. Our team is crisscrossing the state, our phones are buzzing, and we are ready to address your needs and help you succeed.

The state of the Council is strong, and it’s an amazing time to renew your membership, become a member, or sponsor an OCHCH program.

This surge in activity coincides serendipitously with a month of celebration – November is National Home Care, Hospice, and Palliative Care Month. It’s a time to honor our home care and hospice agencies and the exceptional caregivers who tirelessly support Ohioans every single day.

This year, our celebrations are amplified by the groundbreaking $836 million funding increase secured from the Ohio Department of Medicaid for our dedicated care providers. This uplift reinforces our commitment to delivering the highest standard of care. We revel in acknowledging the collective efforts that have enabled us to solidify our mission in supporting your agencies, management teams, clinical staff, and unwavering dedication to serving our communities.

As you may know, we are currently implementing worthwhile changes at the association which are bold and necessary to sustain our commitment to the work we do. Our industry challenges are persistent and real, and as an agency owner/operator I know this all too well, so, I would like to address an important matter that affects all of us. In a time marked by inflation and escalating costs, it’s essential that we collectively and thoughtfully plan for 2024.

In recent years, our association has refrained from imposing substantial dues increases and I’m pleased to report the OCHCH Board is again freezing member dues at 2023 rates and choosing to invest in our future through responsible management of our services and resources and streamlining certain operations, beginning with our financial management and accounting.

We will be moving all members to a calendar year renewal cycle in an effort to efficiently send out all renewals during the month of November, establishing January-December membership terms for everyone.

Lastly, as we close 2023, we are seeking OCHCH Board Member Nominations, with terms beginning January 2024. If you, or someone you know is a highly motivated, caring member of the patient care community and would like to be involved, contact us to begin the nomination process.

Our 2024 Goals include strengthening the Council’s value proposition and delivering these exciting enhancements to our members:

• Education – An enriched, dynamic calendar with innovative and clinically-driven technology that spans home care agencies, both Medicare certified and Medicaid, hospice agencies, and new to us, private duty providers.
• Federal Advocacy – A new focus on federal lobbying efforts, in sync with our government relations firm, giving our Medicare home health and hospice agencies a voice and platform to reach the Ohio legislative delegation in DC.
• State Advocacy – Sustained advocacy at the state level to champion discussions on rebasing, innovative care models, workforce augmentation, technology utilization, and adaptable care provision.
• Help Desk 2.0 – Repositioning the OCHCH Help Desk and providing panels of experts in various topics, such as Medicare home health, Medicaid home health, hospice, accounting and financial, legal, daily operations, rev-cycle management, and contract negotiation to offer higher levels of conversation around your questions and concerns that will promote healthy discussion amongst not only the experts, but also your peers.
• Tech with Purpose – Increased use of technology to better communicate important messaging to keep your agencies current with up-to-date information from not only our state departments, but also the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Palmetto, and more.

Spotlighting Care – Telling your story by shining a spotlight on the invaluable work members do in the community, thus improving our perception with legislators, state and federal officials and the public.

The Council Board and our entire team are deeply committed to ensuring our efforts are viewed by you as an invaluable investment. We are enthusiastic, dedicated, and prepared to fortify our support for your success in the coming year!

Warm regards,

Lisa Von Lehmden
Board Chair
Ohio Council for Home Care & Hospice