Charting Our Course

As we anticipate the next phase of the Department of Labor Companion Exemption litigation and reflect on our success in recent months, we are not resting idly by any stretch of the imagination. HCAOA continues to move forward to advance the home care industry and bring private duty home care to the forefront through the organization's communications capacities, ongoing advocacy efforts, and educational programs. After months of work thanks to your input, the HCAOA Board recently approved a three-year strategic plan focusing on key areas including raising the level of standards for HCAOA members, developing a public awareness campaign to educate the public, in particular seniors, persons with disabilities, and those who may assist in arrangements for their care, to become increasingly aware of the advantages of using HCAOA member home care providers. Furthermore, the plan reinforces HCAOA pro-active advocacy plan with a specific effort to utilize data to drive best practices that will enhance and strengthen the professionalism of home care providers.

Members Provide Valuable Input towards Strategic Planning Process

HCAOA members participated in Peer to Peer Roundtable discussions to further refine information gathered from a HCAOA Membership survey that served as the foundation of the plan.  The membership survey was structured so that HCAOA staff and leadership would better understand the needs of our members and to provide more relevant and timely member benefits. Subsequently, input from the Peer to Peer Discussions was refined and included in HCAOA's strategic planning documents considered by the HCAOA Board of Directors. With the Board's approval of the plan, your HCAOA staff is now developing specific action steps to implement the plan's objectives. In addition, the Board approved and appointed a Strategy Committee to initiate an action plan to execute the Public Awareness objective as referenced in the plan.

THE PLAN

The plan is broken down in two primary areas of priority

• STRATEGIC PILLARS or our Externally-facing priorities focusing on Public Awareness, Advocacy, Research and Certification

• ORGANIZATIONAL IMPERATIVES or our Internally-facing priorities focusing on Membership, Chapters and Education & Training.

STRATEGIC PILLARS

ADVOCACY  

Objective: Educate and strengthen influence with Congress, states and other stakeholders

HCAOA will educate policy makers to help them have a greater understanding of the value of home care, and HCAOA will strengthen its influence with Congress, state legislatures, regulatory agencies, and other stakeholders. 

AWARENESS

Objective: Develop tactics to increase industry awareness with key stakeholders

HCAOA  will strengthen the home care industry through awareness efforts both toward internal stakeholders, such as other home care companies and external stakeholders, such as consumers, family members of consumers, prospective employees for companies, policy makers, referral providers, etc. 

RESEARCH

Objective: Select and report outcome measures

HCAOA will strive to develop and employ data-driven, evidence-based practices to promote quality improvement in the home care industry and promote to targeted stakeholders including the home care industry, the public, legislators and other stakeholders. 

CERTIFICATION

Objective: Establish and implement certification mark program

HCAOA will develop and integrate a certification mark program as a way of differentiating and distinguishing HCAOA members as quality home care providers, work to align and endorse standards for the collective benefit of the industry and formalize process for developing, reviewing and updating HCAOA certification standards.

ORGANIZATIONAL IMPERATIVES 

MEMBERSHIP

Objective: Increase membership, member satisfaction, and member engagement

HCAOA will maximize value to members by providing outstanding service, products and benefits, work to develop membership engagement plan to recruit members to serve in HCAOA leadership positions and identify and meet member needs within specific membership categories.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING LEADERSHIP

Objective: Providing the most relevant training and education for the home care industry

HCAOA will strive to establish the Annual Leadership Conference as the premier home care industry meeting, expand the HCAOA Webinar Program and develop and implement new modes of education tailored to member needs including caregiver education.

CHAPTER DEVELOPMENT

Objective: HCAOA will be a proactive, influential partner in its relationships with state chapters

HCAOA will work to maintain and support the establishment of state chapters in all states and will educate and disseminate "best practice" information to state chapters. 

The Association's strategic plan sets the course for the organization and ultimately helps to shape the future of the industry. The goal is to picture what the industry can become, and how the strategic goals and activities of the HCAOA will impact on shaping the future of the industry. While the Association's mission, vision and guiding principles define who we are and what we strive to be, the strategic goals and actions define what must be accomplished to realize our vision.

New 2015 Dues Structure

In an effort to appropriate the required resources to fund the goals and objectives outlined in the HCAOA strategic plan, the HCAOA Board of Directors approved a dues structure change that sets annual dues at $845. The change reflects the elimination of state chapter dues consolidated into one dues payment. The adjustment reflects a needed reform in the dues structure that has remained unchanged for a number of years and brings the dues in line with comparable trade association fees. Further, because the HCAOA requires both national and state chapter membership in those states with chapters, the combined dues structure eliminates the escalation of chapter dues which had become a deterrent to HCAOA membership. The policy lowers the overall dues burden in those state chapters that experienced excessively high dues. All chapters will now be funded through a formula calculating a designated assessment multiplied by the number of members joining/renewing in that respective chapter/state. While we recognize that for some members this adjustment represents an additional cost that must be absorbed, we balance that with the need to invest in initiatives that advance the industry and add value to members as outlined in the strategic plan and to continue to provide valuable services under current association operations.  We welcome your feedback and encourage your participation as we continue to serve as the premier organization representing the home care industry. Thanks for your membership!