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Health-Fall, 2017

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As industry burgeons, stakeholders call for oversight that protects both patients and workers \\ By Susan Shalhoub H ome health care providers are more in demand than ever, as the population ages and health care policy makers encouraging home-based care whenever possible. It's not just that the baby boomer population of about 76 million Americans is getting older; people are also living longer. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, those born in 2015 will live, on average, to age 78.8, up from 73.8 a generation ago. The number varies sli- ghtly according to race and gender. HOME HEALTH CHECK Meanwhile, the increasingly important home care industry remains largely unregulated in Massachusetts. Where federal requirements call for home health aides to have a minimum of 16 clini- cal hours and 75 hours of training, Massachusetts does not require its Medicare-certified home health care agencies to have more than those minimum standards. Increasing oversight Where the general goal of better quality care benchmarks is supported, part of proposed legisla- tion to create more oversight concerns local pro- viders and industry advocates. James Fuccione, senior director at the Massachusetts Healthy Aging Collaborative, noted that the Baker Administration and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) are working on regulations for home health servic- es that relate to medical in-home services. Fuccione added that recently, there have been legislative efforts to address other more supportive and non-medical types of care in the home. 20 HEALTH • Fall 2017

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