The Worst Home Health Care Agencies in Decorah, Iowa

As the US population grows older, more of us are going to need some kind of help with our daily routines or to recover from specific afflictions. Much of that care will take place outside of a hospital or residential care setting. We believe that one of the best ways to live longer or to recover faster is through health care services that are delivered in your home.

There are many benefits to receiving health care at home. First, it is often more convenient for patients, since they don’t have to travel to a facility. Second, it can be less expensive than receiving care in a hospital or other setting. Third, patients may feel more comfortable and relaxed in their own homes. Home treatment has been shown to lead to faster recoveries and better overall outcomes than similar treatments administered in a hospital or group home setting.

Home Health Care Agencies in Decorah, Iowa

There are 11 home health care companies registered with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid that serve the Highland, Arkansas area. Because home health care agencies visit your home, you may be in an agency's service area even if they do not have an office in Highland.

The list below shows the worst home health care agencies in the market ranked by their overall 5-star quality of care rating. (Click here to see the best home health care agencies in Decorah, Iowa.)

Name	5-Star Quality of Care Rating
ALMOST FAMILY 1052 OAK FOREST DR., SUITE 160 ONALASKA, WI 54650	1.5:
FLOYD COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH/ HOME HEALTH CARE 1003 GILBERT STREET CHARLES CITY, IA 50616	2:
V M H COMUNITY & HOME CARE 40 FIRST STREET SE WAUKON, IA 52172	2:
COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES 402 2ND AVE SE CRESCO, IA 52136	2:
GUNDERSEN PALMER LUTHERAN HOSP & CLIN-HOME HEALTH 200 JEFFERSON ST WEST UNION, IA 52175	2.5:
CHICKASAW CO PUBLIC HEALTH & HOME CARE SERVICES 260 EAST PROSPECT NEW HAMPTON, IA 50659	2.5:
PRESTON GOOD SAMARITAN SOCIETY HOME CARE 200 ST PAUL STREET PRESTON, MN 55965	2.5:
NIT HOME HEALTH & THERAPY LLC 217 EAST BREMER AVE SUITE D WAVERLY, IA 50677	3:
WINNMED 901 MONTGOMERY STREET DECORAH, IA 52101	3:
AVEANNA HOME HEALTH 2600 STATE RD. LA CROSSE, WI 54601	4:
WINNESHIEK COUNTY PHNS 305 MONTGOMERY STREET DECORAH, IA 52101	-:

How are Home Health Care Agencies Rated?

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ("CMS") generates two types of 5-star rating, the Quality of Patient Care Star Ratings and Patient Survey Star Ratings.

Quality of Patient Care Ratings are based on data compiled by CMS based on the percentage of patients whose conditions improve as a result of care provided by the agency. The general guidelines are that these measures should :

• Apply to a substantial proportion of home health patients and have sufficient data to report for a majority of home health agencies.
• Show a reasonable amount of variation among home health agencies and it should be possible for a home health agency to show improvement in performance.
• Have high face validity and clinical relevance.
• Be stable and not show substantial random variation over time.
• Have changed over time based on the results of ongoing monitoring analyses, technical expert panel input, and stakeholder feedback.

Patient improvement is measured in the following ways:

• Timely Initiation of Care
• Improvement in Ambulation
• Improvement in Bed Transferring
• Improvement in Bathing
• Improvement in Shortness of Breath
• Improvement in Management of Oral Medications
• Acute Care Hospitalization

CMS also regularly surveys home health care patients using The Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS®) Home Health Care Survey ("HHCAHPS”). Patients are asked to rate the home health care agency according the following:

• Percent Of Patients Who Reported That Their Home Health Team Gave Care In A Professional Way
• Percent Of Patients Who Reported That Their Home Health Team Communicated Well With Them
• Percent Of Patients Who Reported That Their Home Health Team Discussed Medicines, Pain, And Home Safety With Them
• Percent Of Patients Who Gave Their Home Health Agency A Rating Of 9 Or 10 On A Scale From 0 (lowest) To 10 (highest)
• Percent Of Patients Who Reported YES, They Would Definitely Recommend The Home Health Agency To Friends And Family

Because CMS loves to generate 5-star ratings, there are also 5-star ratings related to each of these questions.

Other Lists of the Worst Home Health Care Agencies

The worst home health care agencies in Iowa

Major Cities in Iowa

Des Moines, IA (best, worst)	Davenport, IA (best, worst)
Cedar Rapids, IA (best, worst)	Iowa City, IA (best, worst)
Waterloo, IA (best, worst)	Sioux City, IA (best, worst)
Dubuque, IA (best, worst)	Ames, IA (best, worst)
West Des Moines, IA (best, worst)	Ankeny, IA (best, worst)
Council Bluffs, IA (best, worst)	Urbandale, IA (best, worst)
Cedar Falls, IA (best, worst)	Marion, IA (best, worst)
Bettendorf, IA (best, worst)	Clinton, IA (best, worst)
Burlington, IA (best, worst)	Mason City, IA (best, worst)
Marshalltown, IA (best, worst)	Muscatine, IA (best, worst)