Compiled by Sharon Wisch-Ray
sharon@tjpnews.com

Area man meets Warren Buffett

David Litman and his daughter Anna recently met Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett when he welcomed 43 U.S. Israel bond investors to Omaha on Sunday, each of whom made a minimum $1 million new investment, to participate in an exclusive evening with the famed “oracle of Omaha.”
The evening opened with a tribute video from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said, “Warren is one of the most brilliant and successful investors of our time. He knows a good investment when he sees it. That’s why he invests in Israel.”
Buffett, who made Israeli company Iscar his first overseas acquisition, spoke warmly of the Jewish state, calling it “a remarkable country.” He stressed that “the United States and Israel have a common destiny,” saying, “If you are looking for brains, energy and dynamism in the Middle East, Israel is the only place you need to go.”
Buffett also spoke positively of investing in Israel bonds, calling the investments “a terrific tribute to the country.” He said he would invest $5 million in Israel bonds in his personal portfolio if participants at the event matched his investment. In doing so, Buffett stated, “I wanted — through the last-minute challenge — to set the bar even higher for future events.”
He added, “You can tell prospective investors that I would have taken a perpetual bond if you had offered one. I believe Israel is going to be around forever.”
As a result, Israel bond sales directly attributable to the event totaled $60 million. In addition to Buffett’s $5 million investment, Berkshire Hathaway’s portfolio has included Israel bonds since its acquisition of Guard Insurance in 2012, now known as Berkshire Hathaway Guard Insurance Companies.
The evening was the result of an April meeting held in Omaha between Buffett and then-Bonds President and CEO Izzy Tapoohi, Vice President for Sales Stuart Garawitz and Pennsylvania Region Executive Director Harold Marcus.
In commenting on the meeting, Buffett said, “I learned quite a bit more about the Bonds program and said I’d love to do (the event).”
In expressing appreciation to Buffett, new Israel Bonds President and CEO Israel Maimon said, “This event tells me that Warren Buffett, famed for his investment expertise, continues to view Israel as a sure bet.”
The evening was hosted by Henry Davis, president & CEO of Greater Omaha Packing.
— Submitted by Karen Garfield

The Legacy at Home named as a Top Agency of the 2016 HomeCare Elite

The Legacy at Home has been named a Top Agency of the 2016 HomeCare Elite, a recognition of the top-performing home health agencies in the United States. Founded in 2011, The Legacy at Home is the largest not-for-profit home health provider in Greater Dallas. The agency also provides comprehensive Medicare-certified in-home health care, nursing and personal assistance with the activities of daily living to seniors with the same level of distinction and professionalism that has defined The Legacy Senior Communities since 1953.
Seniors can receive high-quality care when returning home from a hospital stay or while rehabilitating from an illness or injury at home, in addition to assistance with daily living. For more than 10 years, HomeCare Elite has annually identified the top 25 percent of Medicare-certified agencies. The ranking is developed by ABILITY Network, a leading information technology company helping providers and payers simplify the administrative and clinical complexities of health care, and is sponsored by DecisionHealth, publisher of Home Health Line, The Complete Home Health ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Coding Manual and The Home Health Coding Center.
“We’re honored to receive this prestigious recognition,” said Charlene Bishop, administrator of The Legacy at Home. “Our efforts throughout the past year have focused on the importance of coming together as a team to build upon the quality of care we provide our clients and enhance their overall experience.
“As a team, we looked at all of the small enhancements we could make to our service that would have the biggest impact. It’s been amazing to see how we continue to benefit not only our clients, but our team members as well. Our team has pushed themselves and given everything they can to provide the best service we possibly can. It’s an incredible feeling to receive this recognition as a reminder of what we achieved throughout the year.”
Bishop credits enhancing quality care, lowering re-hospitalization rates and enriching the overall patient experience as the reasons the agency achieved this recognition.
“We were absolutely thrilled to hear about this honor,” said David Eisenberg, chair of the board of directors of The Legacy at Home. “Our team is committed to providing high-quality care to our clients across the Greater Dallas area, and I want to applaud the staff for a job well done.”
“Improving quality of care and the patient experience continue to underpin a rapidly evolving health care environment,” said Christine Lang, senior director, Product Management, for ABILITY Network. “At the same time tracking, measuring and interpreting data that support these efforts is becoming more complex. The 2016 HomeCare Elite winners have demonstrated the highest-quality care in their communities, which is a remarkable achievement. We congratulate The Legacy at Home on being one of the top home care agencies in the country.”
Winners are ranked by an analysis of publicly available performance measures in quality outcomes, best practice (process measure) implementation, patient experience (Home Health CAHPS), quality improvement and consistency, and financial performance. In order to be considered, an agency must be Medicare-certified and have data for at least one outcome in Home Health Compare. Out of 9,406 agencies considered, 2,353 are recognized on the 2016 HomeCare Elite winners list overall.
“We are proud to recognize the HomeCare Elite agencies for demonstrating a commitment to improving quality patient care at low costs. The clinical best practices and data tracking skills these agencies have implemented can position them for future success in government programs such as value-based purchasing and star ratings,” said Marci Heydt, senior content manager, DecisionHealth.
“We are extremely proud of Charlene and the entire The Legacy at Home team for the superior care they provide to seniors throughout Greater Dallas,” said Brian Barnes, CFO/COO of The Legacy Senior Communities. “The Legacy at Home was created with the intention of reaching those we normally could not because they lived outside of our senior living communities. It is gratifying to see our team members receive recognition and praise for their hard work and dedication.”
The entire list of 2016 HomeCare Elite agencies can be downloaded by visiting the Ability Network website at abilitynetwork.com/homecare-elite.
— Submitted by Amy Jones