(Jan. 8, 2009) --Fairview Lakes HomeCaring & Hospice has been named to the 2008 HomeCare Elite, a compilation of the most successful Medicare-certified home health care providers in the United States.  This annual review identifies the top 25 percent of agencies, as ranked by an analysis of publicly available performance measures in quality outcomes, quality improvements and financial performance.
     “The 2008 HomeCare Elite winners exemplify a commitment to providing their patients with optimum care while performing at the highest level,” said Nancy Buller, Senior Director of Marketing Communications at OCS, Inc. "We congratulate Fairview Lakes HomeCaring & Hospice on being one of the top home care agencies in the country."
     Karen Brohaugh, director, Fairview Lakes HomeCaring & Hospice, credits an exceptional staff with the organization’s ability to rank as one of the HomeCare Elite.  She says, “The staff members at HomeCaring & Hospice are dedicated to making a positive difference in the health of the patients and families they serve in the community.  We have many highly qualifed and experienced staff members, and their exceptional abilities have influenced the quality of care we provide.”
     “DecisionHealth would like to congratulate the top HomeCare Elite agencies that achieved excellent clinical and financial outcomes by providing quality care to their patients,” adds Marci Heydt, executive editor of DecisionHealth’s Home Health Line.
     The 2008 HomeCare Elite is the only performance recognition of its kind in the home health industry. The 2008 HomeCare Elite is brought to the industry by OCS, Inc., the leading provider of healthcare informatics, and DecisionHealth, publisher of home care’s most respected independent newsletter …home health line. The entire list of the 2008 HomeCare Elite agencies can be viewed by visiting the OCS web site at ww.ocsys.com/HCE.
About Fairview Lakes HomeCaring & Hospice
     Operated by Fairview Lakes Health Services, a division of Fairview, Fairview Lakes HomeCaring & Hospice provides home health, hospice and palliative care to persons of all ages in Chisago, Washington, Anoka, Isanti and Pine counties from offices based at the Fairview facility in Chisago City, MN. 
     Home health care services include nursing procedures, medication management, physical, occupational and speech therapy, care for pregnant women, babies and children, social work services, assistance with daily activities, physical, emotional, social and spiritual care and health care education. 
     Palliative or comfort care focuses on relief of pain, symptoms and stress of a serious illness as well as support for the patient and family.
     Hospice care provides an alternative to aggressive treatment for patients with limited life expectancy while allowing them to remain as alert and pain-free as possible.  For more information, call 651-982-8850. 
About OCS, Inc.
     OCS is the market leader in healthcare information solutions. By collecting, evaluating and interpreting healthcare information, we empower leaders with data-driven insight that helps optimize mission-critical decision making. OCS combines the richness of the nation’s most comprehensive post-acute data warehouse with cutting-edge analysis tools, consulting services and custom technology solutions. Our information-based solutions facilitate providers, payors, industry analysts, consultants, Federal and state governments, medical products and pharmaceutical companies with advancing their missions using objective, independent information that is not available from other sources. Learn more at www.ocsys.com or call 888-325-3396.
About DecisionHealth
      DecisionHealth® serves the clinical, business and regulatory needs of health care practitioners, providers and their administrative staff nationwide, including home health agencies. For more than 20 years, DecisionHealth has served as the industry's leading source for news, analysis and instructional guidance with brand names such as Home Health Line, Home Care Outcomes, the Complete Home Health ICD-9-CM Diagnosis Coding Manual, Private Duty Insider and Diagnosis Coding Pro for Home Health. Our unique blend of award-winning information specialists, in-house journalists and unmatched access to health care executives, providers and their staffs results in news, analysis and solutions that have captured the attention of nearly 100,000 healthcare readers. For more information, please visit www.DecisionHealth.com or call 877-602-3835.