HCHB Gold Standard Award
HCHB’s Gold Standard Award honors home-based caregivers who utilize HCHB to provide exceptional patient care. Winners are nominated by their agency leaders and carefully selected by the HCHB team for their expertise, enthusiasm and dedication.
Thank you to all the winners for the work you do every day to take care of those in need!
Learn more about HCHB’s Clinician Satisfaction Initiative.
APRIL 2024
Tierra Langley
Occupational Therapist | Addus/AmberCare
What is the most fulfilling part of your role:
“My favorite part of my job is the patients, being able to give someone an extra 5 min to tell their story. It gives me an opportunity to build rapport and provide the best individualized treatment plan.”
What VNS Health leaders have to say:
“Tierra goes above and beyond for her patients! We always hear good reviews. Tierra is thorough and caring to all needs. Tierra uses all available resources to provide a well rounded experience for all patients.”
Learn more about Addus HomeCare.
MARCH 2024
Marylou Mendoza
Registered Nurse | VNS Health
What is the most fulfilling part of your role:
“Home Health Nurse Marylou Mendoza is a testament to the values we hold dear at VNS. Her dedication to patient-centric care, and her role in mentoring new staff members embody the excellence and collaborative spirit we strive for. Marylou’s contributions not only enhance patient outcomes but also elevate our entire team’s approach to care. Her achievements inspire us to continue fostering an environment where dedication to quality care and teamwork flourishes.”
What VNS Health leaders have to say:
“Home Health Nurse Marylou Mendoza is a testament to the values we hold dear at VNS. Her dedication to patient-centric care, and her role in mentoring new staff members embody the excellence and collaborative spirit we strive for. Marylou’s contributions not only enhance patient outcomes but also elevate our entire team’s approach to care. Her achievements inspire us to continue fostering an environment where dedication to quality care and teamwork flourishes.”
Learn more about VNS Health.
FEBRUARY 2024
Lisa Morton
Registered Nurse | Warren County Health Services
What is the most fulfilling part of your role:
“The best part of my job is educating patient’s and family’s so that they have a better understanding of their health issues. By having a better understanding of their disease process and medications patient’s are better able to manage their health and improve their quality of life. The gratitude that patient’s and family’s express for the time and care that is spent in teaching and providing compassionate care is always greatly appreciated due to amount of time and effort that I put forth with every visit.”
What Warren County Health Service leaders have to say:
“Lisa has been the best adopter of HCHB and has enjoyed using the system. She leaned into learning HCHB and using it to her advantage. She is able stay up to speed on charting, which allows her less stress and the availability to focus on the most important part of Home Care, her patients. I am exceptionally pleased with Lisa’s openness to HCHB and allowing herself to utilize the strengths of the system to increase her overall job satisfaction.”
Learn more about Warren County Health Services.
DECEMBER 2023
Ashley Ruegsegger
Registered Nurse | Munson Healthcare Home Health
What is the most fulfilling part of your role:
“I love being able to critically think about how to provide education to patients and instruct them in a way that they understand and makes sense to them, breaking down the barriers that have or are preventing their success with the improvement to their health. When they say, “I finally get it, no one has explained that to me like that”, that is truly rewarding. I also love building trusting relationships and watching patients meet their goals and to improve/heal throughout home care services. Being able to be there and support our patients at such vulnerable time in their life is an honor of itself. I strive to promote my patients to have the best mental, physical and emotional health as possible in a place they want to be, home. I also love and value every single co worker, it takes great teams to provide great care and I am blessed to be a part of a great team.”
What Munson Healthcare Home Health leaders have to say:
“Ashley is a very strong patient advocate, she will do everything she can to meet our patient’s needs. She typically carries a large caseload well, and her documentation is always great, if she forgets something in her documentation she will email us to addend it to make sure all information is accurate available. Ashley has participated in process improvements in patient satisfaction and is always engaged in helping leadership improve our processes and the use of our software to promote better outcomes and support her fellow clinical staff.”
Learn more about Munson Healthcare Home Health.
NOVEMBER 2023
Anyssa Carrasco
Registered Nurse | AngMar
What is the most fulfilling part of your role:
“My favorite part of this job is getting to care for my patients on a deeper level than any other care setting.”
What AngMar leaders have to say:
“Anyssa Carrasco is a CCS RN for Angels Care Home Health was nominated for this award by one of her patients’ daughters who witnessed Anyssa going above and beyond to care for her patients. “I not only knew she was a wonderful nurse and we promoted her to our CCS position (completing the majority of the SOC ROC DC) but upon that promotion, even though it was not part of the role, she kept our parents. We moved them further away from the office by almost an hour and she still continued to see them. I know she has other stories from other families besides ours but as her clinical educator who works closely with her overall, and as the daughter of a patient, I can say she is an asset to Angels Care and our family.”
Learn more about AngMar.
NOVEMBER 2023
Amanda McCarney
PT/DPT | Main Line Health Home Care & Hospice
What is the most fulfilling part of your role:
“I love being able to think outside the box in order to problem-solve situations that make it difficult/unsafe for my patients to be able to safely be home. Together we come up with a solution which increases my patients’ safety, and I am able to make a meaningful difference in my patients’ lives day in and day out. This makes my job so rewarding, and as a result, most days do not feel like “work”.”
What Main Line Health Home Care & Hospice leaders have to say:
“Amanda is an outstanding member of our team, who provides individualized, expert care to patients in their homes. She advocates for her patients and utilizes HCHB to optimize patient care and document their status and progress towards goals. Amanda is a leader and model to other physical therapists, sharing her HCHB expertise with peers, new hires and students regularly. She also completes chart reviews for other clinicians and utilizes the HCHB features to provide valuable feedback to improve our skilled care documentation. Amanda provides gold standard level care to our home health patients.”
Learn more about Main Line Health Home Care & Hospice.
OCTOBER 2023
Gina Gavozzi
Registered Nurse Case Manager | Alternate Solutions Health Network
What is the most fulfilling part of your role:
“Being a homecare hospice nurse enables me to bring comfort and compassion into the homes of individuals at end of life. As individuals begin their last journey it becomes my journey also. The bonds formed during this transition enables individuals and their families to find peace, trust and comfort as they face the unknown. This is a journey an individual take only once and being apart of it is a true blessing.”
What Alternate Solutions Health Network leaders have to say:
“Gina sets the standard for clinical care and assessments and relies on the ease of HCHB to update the patient’s plan of care in real time, to ensure that all team members have an accurate picture of the patient and family. Gina deserves all of the accolades as a thorough clinician, ensuring that all patient and family needs are met.”
Learn more about Alternate Solutions Health Network.
SEPTEMBER 2023
Melissa Leis
Statewide Clinical Director | St. Croix Hospice
What is the most fulfilling part of your role:
“I absolutely love the opportunity to serve patients and give them the opportunity to give them the gift of hospice. Our patients deserve the best care. Hospice is when we get healthcare right. We allow them the right to make their own choices, to choose their treatment and management of symptoms. I love hearing patient stories and being able to share them with our Interdisciplinary Team.”
What St. Croix Hospice leaders have to say:
“Melissa Leis is a dedicated clinical leader with more than six years of experience in the healthcare industry and oversees 1,170 patients across 14 branches in Wisconsin. She has become an experienced Homecare Homebase user, delivering exceptional patient care, expanding end-of-life access in underserved communities and leading high-performing teams.
As a supportive mentor, Melissa empowers her colleagues with the knowledge and skills they need to be successful by regularly facilitating HCHB training sessions. She dedicates her time to training managers and educating them on the various features and back-office functions of HCHB to help them apply new skills on the job. Thanks to her training efforts, Wisconsin has seen improved conversion rates and quality scores along with a census growth of 34% within the past 12 months.
Her commitment to putting patients first and providing care wherever a patient calls home serves as an inspiration to everyone on her team. Melissa’s ability to motivate and strengthen teams has created a fun and engaging culture where team members feel valued and accepted in the workplace. “
Learn more about St. Croix Hospice.
August 2023
Hannah Grigsby
Occupational Therapist | Vital Caring
What VitalCaring leaders have to say:
“Hannah is an Occupational Therapist who has a master’s degree with a strong desire to continue her education. To say that Hannah is passionate about serving home health patients would be an understatement. For patients with minimal or no support she works to find resources for them. Treatment/care for her patients is based on each patient’s individualized needs as are the “equipment and tools” she brings into the home to ensure each patient receives exercises based on their unique needs.
Hannah’s positive attitude and never-ending smile motivates patients to successfully complete their therapeutic exercise program while showing the patient she genuinely cares about their progress. Her assessments are thorough as is her documentation. She is able to translate ‘medial jargon’ into plain English regardless of a patient’s educational level. Hannah is also a patient advocate as evidenced by her willingness to help fight denials so that patients can receive the in-home care they deserve. Hannah is able to perform Start of Care visits, in addition to Evaluations and Routine visits.
In addition, Hannah recognizes the importance of being a “team player” and she is always willing to help nurses and therapists with their questions. She coordinates her care with other clinicians servicing the patient. She mastered Homecare Homebase quickly and consistently meets VitalCaring expectations regarding productivity, in-home documentation, and additional documentation.
Hannah puts the “caring” in VitalCaring and we are so blessed to have her on our team!”
Learn more about VitalCaring.
July 2023
Keith Glass
RN Weekend Oncall | Hospice of North Alabama
What is the most fulfilling part of your role?
“Getting to meet our patients and their families while helping manage patient symptoms at their weakest and often sickest point of their life is both a privilege and a honor. My prayer is that our families see Christ through me and my care helps bring comfort and peace.”
What Hospice of North Alabama leaders have to say:
“Keith has an excellent understanding of PointCare and he utilizes the EMR system within the home to support his patient care instead of an afterthought following patient care. Keith completes his documentation in real time and has proven himself to be an excellent mentor for nurses who struggle with chart completion.”
Learn more about Hospice of North Alabama.
June 2023
Franz Guevara
Registered Nurse | Redeemer Home Health
What Redeemer Home Health leaders have to say:
“Franz is a dependable, outstanding employee who has strong critical thinking skills, attention to detail and a passion for empowering his patients. He offers effective communication skills, promotes collaboration among community partners and physicians, and effectively mitigates potential health risks through timely problem solving before his patients experience a decline in their advanced chronic illnesses.
Franz is a mentor to new nurses and students explaining evidence based best practice and quality care. The patients express exemplary knowledge in falls prevention, medication management, disease, safety and lifestyle modification after his instruction. Results are reductions in re-hospitalizations. Patients have retained their independence and become self-sufficient under his compassionate care.”
Learn more about Redeemer Home Health.
May 2023
Tina Thomas
Medical Records Specialist | VitalCaring
What VitalCaring leaders have to say:
“Tina is extremely diligent in managing her workflow and has played an important role in helping the branch stay below the unbilled claims goal. She steps up any time she’s asked to help train at other branches and frequently offers help to surrounding branches when she’s caught up with her own work. Her work ethic is a clear indication of her loyalty and dedication to VitalCaring home health and their future success.”
Learn more about VitalCaring.
April 2023
Stephanie Bates
Home Health Nurse | Residential Home Health
What Residential Home Health leaders have to say:
“Stephanie has been a home health nurse for Residential Home Health since November of 2020. She has shown herself to be a strong patient advocate, and she is self-motivated with demonstrated ability to work independently. These qualities have resulted in high patient satisfaction scores, low patient hospitalization rates, and positive clinical outcomes. Although she takes a patient-centered approach in the field, she also demonstrates good documentation efficiency, completing a high percentage of it in the home while with the patient. We feel she exemplifies gold standard care in home health.”
Learn more about Residential Home Health.
March 2023
AnnEve Yanka
Clinical Resource Nurse | Hospice of the Valley
What Hospice of the Valley leaders have to say:
“As the Clinical Resource Nurse I have the best of both worlds. I get to work with patients and support fellow staff with resources and education. My desire to serve our patients also translates to serving our staff in the field, and that makes me happy!”
Learn more about Hospice of the Valley.
