HEALTHCAREfirst and Tina Marrelli, Home Health Industry Expert, Partner to Improve Compliance for Home Care Agencies

HEALTHCAREfirst, the pioneer in Web-based software and services for home health and hospice care, announced today that it has partnered with Tina Marrelli, MSN, MA, RN, FAAN President of Marrelli & Associates, Inc. to improve compliance by integrating the industry’s leading clinical guidance materials into its home health and hospice software.

HEALTHCAREfirst is incorporating recommended care standards, care plan goals and interventions from Marrelli’s, “The Handbook of Home Health Standards, Quality, Documentation and Reimbursement,” also known as “The Little Red Book.” Care standards in the handbook are derived from published research and extensive practical experience, and have been tuned for regulatory compliance. In its fifth edition, revised reprint, the book has enjoyed widespread use by thousands of home care and hospice clinicians and organizations since its original publication more than twenty years ago.

 According to BKD, a leading CPA firm in the industry, health care is one of the most highly regulated industries in the United States. Thousands of health care entities have been excluded from participating in federal programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, for violating laws. Government agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Office of Inspector General (OIG), Department of Justice (DOJ) and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) target health care fraud and abuse as high-priority areas to conduct inquiries and investigations.

 Home care agencies now have software that they can rely on to help them meet the complexity of regulatory guidelines and improve their patient care. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to work closely with Tina to develop the most compliant software solution available to home care,” said Stan Bell, Senior Vice President of Products. “Her expert guidance and input will help to ensure that our customers experience improved compliance and better efficiency.”

 This clinical guidance integration will be made available in HEALTHCAREfirst’s recently announced Mobile Solution for Android. Developed with guidance from industry and information technology experts, the mobile solution ensures workflows that are conducive to faster and more compliant care documentation.

 About HEALTHCAREfirst
HEALTHCAREfirst provides leading-edge technologies that improve business and clinical functions to over 18,000 users across the United States. HEALTHCAREfirst was one of the first home health care software vendors to recognize the industry’s need for high quality software applications that are accessible over the internet. Based in Springfield, Mo and one of the fastest growing providers of its kind, the company provides clients with web-available agency management software, mobile solution for Android, business intelligence analytics, electronic medical record software, revenue cycle management software, billing services, coding services and OASIS Review, ensuring that technology is not a barrier to patient care, but a powerful tool. HEALTHCAREfirst allows caregivers to focus on patients instead of paperwork. For more information call 800.841.6095 or visit the company’s website at www.healthcarefirst.com.

About Tina Marrelli, MSN, MA, RN, FAAN


Tina M. Marrelli, MSN, MA, RN, FAAN is President of Marrelli and Associates, Inc., an international health care consulting and publishing firm. She has a background in management, operations, and performance improvement. Marrelli also worked at the Medicare central office for four years on home care and hospice coverage and policy. She served on the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization’s (NHPCO) Standards and Accreditation Committee and served as a member of the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association’s “National Competency Project,” which published the first such standards for hospice nurses. Marrelli served as the editor of 3 peer-reviewed home care nursing publications as well as authored over 10 books. She was also the founding member of the International Home Care Nurses Organization, a platform for home care nurses across the globe, wherever in the world they practice. To purchase “The “Handbook of Home Health Standards: Quality, Documentation, and Reimbursement”, contact Tina at news@marrelli.com or visit www.marrelli.com.