CHICAGO, April 28, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BrightStar Care, a national home care franchise with more than 260 independently owned and operated locations across the country that provide medical and non-medical care to patients from infants to elders, recently conducted third-party market research that showed family caregivers seek a higher standard of care for their loved ones, but have difficulty finding it.
Through the research, BrightStar Care discovered that as families seek quality in-home care for their aging loved ones, the most important factors they consider include having a compassionate caregiver they can trust, somebody who understands the unique needs of their loved one, and having qualified, skilled medical professionals overseeing the care.
However, the lack of clinical quality standards within the private duty in-home care sector, combined with the public's lack of knowledge of the industry, can make it challenging for families confronted with the need for care or professionals looking to select a trustworthy service partner. With a wide range of home care providers offering varying levels of standards, services, staff, oversight and clinical backgrounds, the process of choosing one can be confusing and overwhelming.
BrightStar Care wants to help consumers ask the right questions when searching for the right in-home care provider for a loved one. With the ultimate goal of spreading the message that family caregivers should always look for a healthcare agency that is held to the highest standards possible, the company recently changed its tagline to "A Higher Standard of Care." The Joint Commission recently recognized the company and its franchisees' ongoing commitment to promote high quality health care services by awarding it the Enterprise Champion for Quality Award. The prestigious distinction is awarded to select franchisor organizations with a proven commitment to the highest level of quality and safety, and further sets BrightStar Care apart as a quality-focused care provider.
"When my husband and I started BrightStar Care in 2002, it was because we personally experienced the overwhelming responsibility of caring for a family member and discovered the disparate quality of care in the marketplace," said Shelly Sun, CEO and co-founder of BrightStar Care. "Compelled by our own personal struggle, we founded BrightStar Care, vowing to raise the bar for quality standards in the industry. Today, we are proud to be stepping out with a strong statement and tagline that emphasizes the importance of quality standards. In the process, we hope to educate families that there is `A Higher Standard' available that everyone has earned the right to have."
In addition, BrightStar Care is also educating consumers on qualities they should look for to identify a qualified care option:
- Availability — Operates on a 24 hours a day, 7 days a week basis as many home care providers only operate during "regular business hours."
- Registered Nurse oversight — Provides a comprehensive health and wellness evaluation conducted by a Registered Nurse with the expertise to craft a personalized plan of care around a loved one's unique interests, personal, and healthcare needs.
- Trusted—Employs and oversees experienced, screened, compassionate, and trained nurses and caregivers.
- Core Values—Stands by its core values and ensures that the client will get the care they need and deserve.
- Accreditation—Committed to care standards that are validated through a major third-party healthcare standards accrediting body, like The Joint Commission.
Sharon Roth Maguire, MS, RN, GNP-BC, Chief Clinical Quality Officer for BrightStar Care, noted that families should closely examine clinical quality when choosing an in-home care provider.
"Our Clinical Quality standards give families tremendous peace of mind that their loved ones are receiving the best of care from qualified professionals," Roth Maguire said. "When we talk about 'A Higher Standard of Care,' we deliver on that message with our unique best practices such as the active involvement of our RN Director of Nursing in every client's care, the oversight of our direct care team by our RN who does face-to-face in-home supervisory visits, competency testing of select caregiver skills, as well as person-centered client reassessments and plans of care designed to optimize client's health and wellbeing."
Further setting them apart from the competition, when first meeting with new clients, BrightStar Care Registered Nurses perform a comprehensive health and wellness evaluation that sets the stage for matching the client with a professional caregiver based on the client's preferences and unique care needs. Caregivers make themselves available to their clients 24/7, always ready in time of need. A Registered Nurse reviews weekly Care Reports and the RN Care Manager responsible for the client leads regularly scheduled care plan review meetings. BrightStar Care also offers all clients access to its CareTogether® program, a free, private secure online caregiving resource.
For more information about BrightStar Care, please visit www.brightstarcare.com.
About BrightStar Care
Based in Chicago, BrightStar Care is a national private duty home care and medical staffing franchise with more than 260 locations that can provide medical and non-medical services to clients within their homes, as well as supplemental care staff to corporate clients. BrightStar Care Registered Nurse Directors of Nursing create unique, personalized plans of care for each client and oversee professional care teams of well-qualified, experienced caregivers to deliver expert, compassionate, and personal care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Each BrightStar Care location is required to pursue Joint Commission Accreditation. BrightStar Care received The Joint Commission's Enterprise Champion for Quality award and is committed to having each of its agencies comply with Joint Commission standards. BrightStar Care uses the nationally known patient satisfaction survey company Press Ganey to measure client satisfaction and is proud that nine out of 10 clients would recommend BrightStar Care to a friend or family member. For more information on BrightStar Care please visit brightstarcare.com; to find out more about BrightStar Franchising, visit www.brightstarfranchise.com.