What qualifications does your Department’s Director of Patient Services (DPS) of your CHHA meet? & Have you had difficulties in the past few years recruiting and retaining qualified personnel to meet DPS requirements? *See Attachment called “Certified Home Health Agency Requirements for Administrator and DPS”*

We require at least a BSN and 2 years of Supervision for the DPS. Our DPS position has been vacant since 2015-I cannot find anyone with the above qualifications from outside of the agency. I have two SPHNs but they would not be appropriate as a DPS. I have been filling the DPS position as well as DPH.

I have attached a copy of our Civil Service job description. I am the current DPS. I have been the DPS since 2016. Since I started with the CHHA in 2002, I was a RN Case Manager, Nursing Supervisor, ADPS now the DPS. I have my baccalaureate degree in nursing. I am the 4th DPS since 2002. We do not appear to be having any problems with recruitment or retaining for the DPS position. We are having a problem with both recruitment and retaining RN case managers (field RNs). I would be interested if any of the other CHHAs are facing this same problem. *See Attachment called “Chemung County – DIRECTOR OF PATIENT SERVICES”*

What qualifications does your Department’s Director of Patient Services (DPS) of your CHHA meet?
The current DPS has a BS degree in Nursing and 33 years of home health experience. 25 years experience as a Director of Home Care, 7 years experience as a Surveyor of Home Care and the remaining years as a nurse in home care. The current DPS worked as a Supervising Public Health Nurse for 6 years prior to becoming the Director of Exxex County CHHA.

Have you had difficulties in the past few years recruiting? And retaining qualified personnel to meet DPS requirements?
Yes, We had two SPHN and one refused the DPS position (Worked at Essex County for 37 years in home care) and the other SPHN did not want the promotion. The pay scale for the senior SPHN was equal to or more than the DPS pay scale due to 37 years of service. An Administrator position was created when one SPHN was promoted to DPS. This allowed more available staff who could assume a management position if there was another vacancy. The Administrator left after two years of service stating it was due to the salary. Two years supervising community health nurse or a master and two years as a home care nurse is very important prior to assuming the role of DPS as it is an enormous undertaking. You would naturally move someone from the role of Administrator or Supervisor to DPS. But, not all middle managers want the responsibility or have the capacity to be a Director. It is very difficult to find trained manager level staff for a succession plan