Photo submitted to Times Observer From left, in front, are Paul Bova, Nicki Berdine, Julie Lindemuth, Amanda Sanden, Kristy Hanks, Tracy Mahaffey, Chrissy Williams, Kristen Lucas, Sarah Suppa, and Chris Darling; and, in back, Kathleen Courson, Deanna Beyer, Lindsay Bevevino, Jen Hoffman, Misty Wilson, Lauren Christy, Lacey McCollough, Lauren Harvey, Julie Goff, Natalie Gaskin, Melissa Lemay, and Lindsey Clinton. Missing from photo is Rebecca Kirkland, Mary Beers, Dianna Wadlow, and Robin Anderson.

Darling’s Home Care has announced that it has been named the recipient of the Ability HomeCare Elite for the second consecutive year and HHCAPS Honors for the third consecutive year. Additionally, Darling’s Home Care has been named to the Top 500 of the HomeCare Elite for 2019 – identifying it as one of the leaders in the nation in regard to patient satisfaction and quality metrics.

HHCAHPS Honors are awarded by HEALTHCAREfirst, a provider of web-based home health and hospice software, billing and coding services, CAHPS surveys and advanced analytics. HHCAHPS Honors acknowledges the highest performing agencies by analyzing performance on patient satisfaction surveys. This prestigious annual review recognizes agencies that continuously provide a positive patient experience and high-quality care as measured from the patient’s point of view. HHCAHPS Honors recipients include agencies scoring above the HEALTHCAREfirst National Average on at least 85% of evaluated survey questions. HEALTHCAREfirst holds a special recognition, HHCAHPS Honors Elite, to recognize home health agencies scoring above the HEALTHCAREfirst National Average on 100% of the evaluated questions. Darling’s Home Care has been identified as an elite agency and currently ranked in the top 500 home health agencies for quality measures out of over 12,000 registered agencies nationally. Home Health Care is a benefit that is irreplaceable to the aging population that is choosing to age at home. Home Health is increasingly proving to be the most economically responsible choice when compared to the cost of long term inpatient units and skill nursing facilities. Kathleen Courson, Director of Darling’s Home Care, said, “This industry has proven time and time again that it can care for even the most fragile members of our community at home safely and appropriately. We need the support of the government to ensure our future in terms of funding. 2020 is bringing significant changes to the payment model in-home health and could greatly impact our ability to continue care for our populations.”

Courson said Darling’s Home Care will continue to advocate for support and educate local representatives on the irreplaceable care that Home Health professionals bring to the table. “I urge the public, as always, to understand the benefits and rights awarded to you through your insurance coverage and to demand a choice when being ordered any service, in particular, Home Health Care,” she said. “There is no replacement for high-quality care. This community deserves the best care from the best clinicians and we have a team of 22 professionals that surpass all expectations we ever imagined. To say we are proud of these accomplishments is an understatement.”

Established in 2015, Darling’s Home Care was built to fulfill a need in the Warren area. Designed and implemented by life-long community members, Darling’s Home Care combines the personalized care of small-town businesses with big-city quality, accolades, and experienced staff. Skilled professionals provide patients with skilled nursing care, physical, occupational and speech therapy, medical social work services. Services include the timely start of care, 24/7 on-call nursing staff as well as next day and weekend therapy for joint replacement patients in Warren, Forrest, and Crawford counties