For the sixth consecutive year, ThedaCare At Home ranks as one of the most successful Medicare-certified home health care providers in the nation, according to a survey compiled by OCS Inc. and DecisionHealth.

The 2011 HomeCare Elite™ is a compilation of the top performing home health agencies in the United States. Now in its sixth year, the HomeCare Elite identifies the top 25 percent of agencies and also highlights the top 500 agencies overall. Winners are ranked by an analysis of performance measures in quality outcomes, process measure implementation, and financial performance. ThedaCare At Home is one of only 30 homecare agencies in the nation to be named to the Top 500 list since the listing started in 2006.

“We’re honored to be listed among the top 500 home health care providers in the nation for the sixth year in a row,” said ThedaCare At Home Director Melanie Richardson. “Our employees and their ability to work together as a team to provide quality care to patients is what set us apart.”

With more than 11,000 Medicare certified home health providers in the United States, the top 500 ranking means ThedaCare At Home ranks among the top 4 percent of all Medicare-certified home health providers in the nation. Richardson added that ThedaCare At Home is the only area agency to earn the honor.

The 2011 HomeCare Elite is the only performance recognition of its kind in the home health industry and is put together by OCS HomeCare, the leading provider of homecare information, and DecisionHealth, publisher of the industry’s most respected independent newsletter Home Health Line. The entire list of the 2011 HomeCare Elite agencies can be viewed by visiting the OCS website at www.ocshomecare.com

“It is increasingly challenging to manage the cost/quality equation. The 2011 HomeCare Elite winners demonstrate a commitment to providing patients with the best possible care while managing their business efficiently and effectively,” said Amanda Twiss, CEO of OCS and My Innerview. “This year, we updated our methodology to reflect industry focus and, based on this rigorous analysis, we congratulate ThedaCare At Home on being one of the top home care agencies in the country.”

Home health providers like ThedaCare At Home who make the list show they can adapt to the evolving marketplace and excel in both clinical and financial outcomes, said DecisionHealth product manager Marci Heydt. “The HomeCare Elite designation continues to gain significance given the regulatory changes and challenges that agencies face,” she said.

ThedaCare At Home has received numerous recognitions in the past six years as one of the fastest growing and best performing home care agencies in the nation. ThedaCare At Home provides a continuum of home care services, including skilled nursing, home and residential hospice care, respiratory services, infusion therapy, home medical equipment, rehab and mobility, remote monitoring and other specialty services. ThedaCare At Home serves more than 17,000 patients in 12 counties, including Outagamie, Winnebago, Calumet, Brown, Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Waushara, Waupaca, Shawano, Menominee, Oconto, and Portage counties. There are more than 300 employees, including 150 licensed health care professionals in 15 different specialties. ThedaCare At Home also operates the Community Hospice at Cherry Meadows and the ThedaCare Hospice Residence on the Peabody–Heritage campus in Appleton.

ThedaCare™ is a community health system consisting of five hospitals: Appleton Medical Center, Theda Clark Medical Center, New London Family Medical Center, Shawano Medical Center, and Riverside Medical Center in Waupaca. ThedaCare also includes ThedaCare Physicians, ThedaCare Behavioral Health, and ThedaCare at Home. ThedaCare is the largest employer in Northeast Wisconsin with more than 6,175 employees. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

For more information, media may contact Megan Wilcox, APR, (megan.wilcox@thedacare.org), public relations and corporate specialist for ThedaCare, at (920) 830-5847, or call the Theda Clark Medical Center switchboard at (920) 729-3100 and ask for the marketing person on call.