PINEHURST – FirstHealth Home Care has been named to the 2009 HomeCare Elite, a compilation of the top performing home health agencies in the United States. The annual review identifies the top 25 percent of agencies and further highlights the top 500 agencies overall.

Winners are ranked by an analysis of performance measures in quality outcomes, quality improvement and financial performance.

“The 2009 HomeCare Elite winners exemplify a commitment to providing their patients with the best possible care while performing at the highest level,” says Nancy Buller, senior director of marketing communications at OCS HomeCare. “We congratulate FirstHealth Home Care on being not only one of the top 25 percent but also one of the top 500 home care agencies in the country.”

FirstHealth Home Care Director Patty Upham credits staff excellence and FirstHealth’s commitment to quality with the organization’s ability to rank as one of the HomeCare Elite. FirstHealth offers home health services in Richmond, Moore, Lee, Montgomery, Hoke and Scotland counties.

“We are delighted with this recognition,” Upham says. “Our consistently high patient satisfaction scores and this recognition for our positive clinical and financial outcomes are testaments not only to our excellent staff but also to the FirstHealth organization.”

The 2009 HomeCare Elite is the only performance recognition of its kind in the home health industry. The 2009 HomeCare Elite is brought to the industry by OCS Inc., the leading provider of home care information, and DecisionHealth, publisher of the independent newsletter “Home Health Line.”

The data used for the analysis was compiled from publicly available information.

The entire list of the 2009 HomeCare Elite agencies can be viewed by visiting the OCS Web site at www.ocshomecare.com or calling (800) 876-2212 toll-free.