It may seem obvious to even the most casual observer how important it is to maintain excellent home health care service. But in an industry laden with regulatory oversight, sometimes the message gets lost, confused, or even degraded.

To ensure that Florida legislators fully grasp the complexities that drive our industry, Empathy's Director of Nursing Beverly Parkis and Attending Physician Dr. James Frank actively participated in the 2010 Legislative Session in Tallahassee.

After preparing advance material for months, the pair, led by Beverly Parkis as a team leader on behalf of the Home Health Care Association of Florida, departed on April 7 for the state's Capitol to meet with legislators. Their mission, along with other HCAF participants, was to discus home health care issues, regulatory problems, and be part of HCAF's public awareness initiative, "The Faces of Home Health Care."

—April 2010

Empathy Care was named this year to the 2009 HomeCare Elite list of the top 25 percent of Medicare-certified home health care agencies in the United States. The organization measured more than 8,890 agencies across the country for quality care, quality improvement, and financial performance. Being named to the list is an important distinction that means you can be confident you or your loved one is provided the best professional care available.

“Any service business is only as good as the quality of those it employs to deliver its services,” said Steve Mulder, president of Empathy Care. “We believe we have the finest group of caregivers available and they are the reason for our success.”

This was the second year in a row that Empathy Care was honored with the HomeCare Elite distinction of being among the top 25 percent of home health care providers in the nation.

HomeCare Elite is recognized as the definitive source of compilation of home health care agencies that must abide by strict standards for Medicare certification. HomeCare Elite is brought to the industry by OCS. Inc., the leading provider of home care information, and by DecisionHealth, publisher of home care's most respected independent newsletter Home Health Line.

Data used in the HomeCare Elite analysis is compiled from publicly available information. Read more about the award at OCS. Inc.'s HomeCare Elite web page.

—Winter 2009

If you suffer from lymphedema or know someone who does, we can help. We’ve added a team of specialized clinicians who can effectively manage this condition, which is an accumulation of fluid in superficial tissues that typically affects a person’s extremities such as the arms or legs. The condition can stem from a malformation of the lymphatic system or can arise from injury, excision or radiation therapy to the lymph nodes. People with lymphedema can become debilitated as a result of the excessive swelling.

Our trained professionals manage the condition with a non-invasive approach known as “Complete Decongestive Therapy,” which is comprised of four components. Those components are manual lymph drainage, compression therapy, decompression exercises and skin care.

If you have lymphedema, our staff would be honored to help make a difference in your life. Call us at 561-395-9101 for more information. Meanwhile, read more about this condition at on our Lymphedema Therapy page and the National Lymphedema Network.

—Fall 2009

We're pleased to announce that we now offer specialized services in Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy, which can help identify and correct problems that contribute to falling.

The program, coordinated through appropriate physicians, begins with home safety checks, balance testing and other screening methods made by our own therapist. If a problem is identified, the home environment can be altered to reduce the potential for falls. Additionally, your physician can order a specialized, non-invasive procedure that our therapist can conduct in your home.

—Winter 2007

Dr. Owen Barruw, Empathy Care’s medical director since 1999, was recently recognized by Consumers Research Council of America as one of America’s top physicians for the fourth consecutive year.

That’s quite a distinction, and we’re pleased to have Dr. Barruw playing such an instrumental role in shepherding our operations. As medical director, he serves as primary medical advisor to our governing body, program personnel, and to patients and their families. His function is broad and important to us. Not only does he provide on-going supervision for the clinical staff, but he oversees, participates in, and supervises our treatment planning process and therapies.

—Summer 2007