Lynn C. Jones Elected Chairman of National Visiting Nurse Associations of America Board of Directors

WILMINGTON, Del., July 1, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Lynn C. Jones, president of Christiana Care Visiting Nurse Association, began a two-year term as chair of the board of the Visiting Nurse Associations of America (VNAA) in June. The VNAA is the national association for nonprofit, community-based home health and hospice organizations who care for and treat approximately 4 million patients each year.

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"We are pleased to announce the election of Lynn Jones as chairman of the VNAA Board," said Andy Cater, VNAA president and CEO. "His leadership skills and knowledge of home health and hospice are both exceptional. We believe he will serve the VNAA community well by continuing to develop innovative ways to grow the organization and guide the future of home healthcare and hospice agencies."

As board chair, Jones says he will concentrate on three areas.

First is to "build the case" and articulate the special needs and costs necessary to provide care for the most vulnerable patients. To that end, Christiana Care VNA participated in a study to evaluate these factors.

"We participated in a study with nine other agencies, spearheaded by the VNAA and supported by the Visiting Nurse Service of New York, to identify and quantify the impact of these patient characteristics," Jones says. "With this information, VNAA will work with MedPAC and CMS as they revamp the reimbursement mechanism for home health services, to better match payment with the actual cost of care. This will in turn provide needed financial support for those 'safety net home health agencies' who accept all patients for care, without regard to ability to pay or complexity of care required."

A second goal for Jones as VNAA board chair is to ensure that, as part of health care reform, VNAA has a voice and role in the development of new models of care.

"Our outlook is that community-based home health and hospice organizations have a lot to offer in terms of keeping patients well, independent and at home," Jones says. "We represent the lowest-cost option, as well as the setting where most patients prefer to be cared for. That is a great value for the health care system, and for the patient."

A third key effort for Jones during his coming term is to increase VNAA membership and to strengthen the value offered by the association to its members.

"During this time of reform, nonprofit home health and hospice organizations are even more challenged to maintain their commitment to providing care without regard to ability to pay, while remaining strong financially," Jones says. "This is a critical time for organizations like ours, with great risks and great opportunities before us."

Jones has been an active member of the VNAA Board for six years and has been chair of its Public Policy Council the past two years.

For more information about Christiana Care Health System, visit www.christianacare.org.

SOURCE Christiana Care Health System