Visiting Nurse Service of New York

Poor medication management poses a significant risk to older homecare patients. Under the Curricula for Homecare Advances in Management and Practice (CHAMP) project, a standardized medication management program was brought to home care agencies across the State.

Visiting Nurse Service (VNS) of New York, the largest home care agency in the U.S., developed CHAMP in 2004 and tested it in 48 home care agencies nationally. An evaluation of the program found significant patient care improvements. Providers who participated in testing CHAMP agreed reported making lasting changes in how they conducted quality improvement and worked with their health care teams. A 10-month CHAMP course reaches 300 frontline nurse managers, 3,060 field nurses, and 137,000 patients. CHAMP participants experience online learning and interactive exercises, face-to-face workshops, and expert presentations, Web-based performance measurement system, groups coaching calls, and a faculty-moderated list-serve providing peer support.