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National Bronze Quality Award recognition shared by local media

Andi Petrini on July 15, 2024

In June, Virginia Health Services released news that five of its communities received the Bronze – Commitment to Quality Award by the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) for their commitment to improving the lives of residents through quality care.

The Newport, Northampton and Walter Reed Nursing and Rehabilitation Centers, and The Hamilton and The Huntington Assisted Living communities were among the state’s 17 Bronze award recipients.

The Gloucester Gazette-Journal and the Daily Press/Virginian-Pilot published the Bronze Quality Award recipient news.

Daily Press (published July 15, 2024): https://www.dailypress.com/2024/07/15/business-notes-for-the-week-of-july-15-3/

Gloucester Gazette Journal (published July, 2024): https://www.gazettejournal.net/walter-reed-receives-bronze-national-quality-award/

VHS President & CEO featured in Becker’s Healthcare emerging trends article

Andi Petrini on June 27, 2024

VHS President and CEO Mark Klyczek was included in an article from Becker’s Healthcare, “From AI to Telehealth: 82 Healthcare Leaders Discuss Emerging Trends.”

Mark says value-based care and top-line revenue growth are the top two trends VHS is following, with multiple value-based care opportunities emerging in Virginia.

“Virginia has prioritized value-based care in skilled nursing facilities, which is the best way to reward high performing organizations and incentivize organizations to improve,” he says. “… These types of programs are vital to grow our top-line revenue as expense increases remain sticky and do not show any signs of improving in the short term. Our strategy of top-line revenue growth has significantly mitigated the expense increases and when our expense reduction strategies take hold, our top-line revenue will already be growing and healthy.”

Value-based care, the use of AI, veterans healthcare, staff recruitment and retention, and telehealth were other trends included in the piece.

The leaders, including Mark, will be featured speakers at the Becker’s 12th Annual CEO + CFO Roundtable conference in November. Read what they all had to say here.

VHS Chief Strategy Officer featured in Home Health Care News

Andi Petrini on January 9, 2024

Virginia Health Services Chief Strategy Officer Eric Gommel recently spoke on a panel at the Aging Media Network’s Continuum Conference in Washington, D.C. The panel, “Acuity Creep Across the Continuum: Adapting to Shifting Patient and Resident Profiles,” was covered in a news story by Home Health Care News and published Jan. 5 online.

Gommel and his fellow panelists, Michael Johnson, President of Hospice & Home Health BAYADA Home Health Care, and Adam Perry of the John Hartford Foundation Health and Aging Policy Fellows Program, discussed the increasing medical complexity and frailty of the seniors accessing care within the continuum.

He said staff education and training are key in addressing “acuity creep.”

“You have to invest in your team, and that means making sure they’re not turning over and you’re spending time preparing them for these changes,” he said.

Read “Home Health Agencies Grapple With ‘Acuity Creep’ As Patient Needs Become More Complex” by Patrick Filbin on Home Health Care News.

Dialysis Den at Coliseum highlighted by iAdvance Senior Care

Andi Petrini on December 14, 2023

An article based on an interview with Virginia Health Services President and CEO Mark Klyczek was published by iAdvance Senior Care on Dec. 12, 2023.

The article highlights the benefits of the Dialysis Den at Coliseum Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Hampton. The Den is run in partnership with DaVita Kidney Care and opened in June 2023.

It also outlines the partnership between VHS and DaVita in the buildout of the Den and lessons learned.

Read the article.

Dialysis Den at Coliseum featured in Daily Press article

Andi Petrini on October 2, 2023

Virginia Health Services and the Dialysis Den at Coliseum Nursing and Rehabilitation Center was featured Monday, Oct. 2, 2023, in an article in the Daily Press newspaper (based in Newport News, Virginia).

The article outlines the benefits of having an on-site dialysis center for residents in partnership with DaVita and features a resident interview.

Read the story: https://www.dailypress.com/2023/10/02/dialysis-den-at-hampton-nursing-facility-gives-residents-their-time-back/

Virginia Health Services CEO & President publishes op-ed in Daily Press/Virginian-Pilot on staffing mandate

Andi Petrini on September 15, 2023

Virginia Health Services President & CEO Mark Klyczek published a guest editorial in online versions of the Daily Press and The Virginian-Pilot the evening of Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023. The op-ed shared the ways in which the new federal staffing guidelines for nursing homes conflicts with providing quality care.

Excerpt:

“As a nursing home operator in the local community for more than 60 years, Virginia Health Services is proud of the care we have delivered to thousands of individuals. While we fully support the staffing requirements adopted by the Virginia legislature, a federal staffing mandate would significantly reduce the quality of care in nursing homes. The Virginia model sets a consistent staffing standard and funds the staff needed to achieve the goal we all have, which is to provide improved staffing and quality care. The federal mandate is expected to be unachievable, and funding has not been discussed.

“… Should a more stringent mandate without funding be implemented by the federal government, nursing homes will be forced to accept fewer patients, and some may be forced to close.”

The full op-ed from The Virginian-Pilot: https://www.pilotonline.com/2023/09/14/opinion-federal-nursing-home-mandate-conflicts-with-good-care/

The full op-ed from the Daily Press: https://www.dailypress.com/2023/09/14/opinion-federal-nursing-home-mandate-conflicts-with-good-care/

Provider Magazine: Apprenticeships Move Into Mainstream

Andi Petrini on June 2, 2023

Virginia Health Services President and CEO Mark Klyczek was recently quoted in an article in Provider Magazine: “Apprenticeships Move Into Mainstream.”

The article outlines how apprenticeships can boost workforce challenges in healthcare.

Virginia Health Services offers an earn-as-you-learn apprenticeship program that graduates Care Assistants to Nurse Aides and covers the cost of the state certification exam to be a CNA. The program has had more than 70 individuals and graduates are employed in VHS nursing and rehabilitation centers.

“It helps bring more structure to what we are doing. It fits our existing training program into a more structured apprenticeship,” Klyczek says in the Provider piece.

“This leads, he suggested, to opportunities for funding to help offset the costs of internal training. He said, ‘When you have an internal apprenticeship program, it may qualify you or the apprentices for additional funding or programs. For instance, for a military veteran, it might mean a housing stipend or other funding is reactivated through the GI Bill.’

“He added, ‘It can grow quickly into more funding than you may think.'”

Read the article.

Learn more about the VHS apprenticeship program at vahs.com/apprenticeship.

VHS apprenticeship program featured on NPR podcast

Andi Petrini on January 9, 2023

Virginia Health Services President & CEO Mark Klyczek and Director of Education Princess Henderson, RN, were featured on an episode of “The Indicator,” a podcast about work and money on NPR.

The conversation with host Wailin Wong focused on VHS’s apprenticeship program, in which students earn as they learn in graduating to Nurse Aides and are supported through taking the state certification exam to be a CNA.

Listen to VHS on The Indicator

Newsweek Best Nursing Homes 2023 honors featured in local publications

Andi Petrini on November 16, 2022

Media coverage of three Virginia Health Services nursing and rehabilitation centers is below. Coliseum, James River and Walter Reed Nursing and Rehabilitation Centers were included on Newsweek’s Best Nursing Homes 2023 list, released on Sept. 28, 2022.

Daily Press/The Virginian-Pilot Business Notes for Nov. 14, 2022

https://www.dailypress.com/business/vp-ib-biznotes-1114-20221114-zcs7nw2bf5hdxa6prygvw7lkta-story.html

Gloucester Gazette-Journal brief (Nov. 9, 2022)

https://www.gazettejournal.net/walter-reed-nursing-and-rehab-recognized-by-newsweek-magazine/

Peninsula Chronicle: Three Local Nursing Homes Make Newsweek’s List For Best Nursing Homes For 2023 (Oct. 28, 2022)

https://peninsulachronicle.com/2022/10/28/three-local-nursing-homes-make-newsweeks-list-for-best-nursing-homes-for-2023/

Virginia Health Services CEO & President publishes op-ed in Daily Press/Virginian-Pilot

Andi Petrini on August 29, 2022

Virginia Health Services President & CEO Mark Klyczek published an editorial in the Sunday, Aug. 28, 2022, edition of the Daily Press and The Virginian-Pilot. The op-ed outlined the need for encouraging individuals to take on careers in healthcare and the opportunities in which to pursue it.

The column is available here (Daily Press) and here (Pilot).

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