Sometimes it can be hard to tell the difference between respiratory infections like a cold or the flu. The symptoms listed below are common to each illness. Always talk to your doctor if you have concerns about your symptoms and especially if they become severe. Follow his/her advice for treating a cold or flu. Stop the spread of these viruses by staying home when you are sick.

Symptoms	Cold	Flu
Fever	Rare	Characteristic, high (102-104oF); lasts 3-4 days
Headache	Rare	Prominent
General Aches, Pains	Slight	Usual; often severe
Fatigue, Weakness	Quite mild	Can last up to 2-3 weeks
Extreme Exhaustion	Never	Early and prominent
Stuffy Nose	Common	Sometimes
Sneezing	Usual	Sometimes
Sore Throat	Common	Sometimes
Chest Discomfort, Cough	Mild to moderate; hacking cough	Common; can become severe
Complications	Sinus congestion or earache	Bronchitis, pneumonia; can be life-threatening
Prevention	None	Annual vaccination; antiviral medicines – see your doctor
Treatment	Only temporary relief of symptoms	Antiviral medicines – see your doctor

Source: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health, April 2001

Ledyard Regional VNA today announced that it has been named to the Top 100 of the 2012 HomeCare Elite™, a compilation of the top-performing home health agencies in the United States. Now in its seventh year, the HomeCare Elite identifies the top 25 percent of agencies and further highlights the top 100 and top 500 agencies overall. Winners are ranked by an analysis of publicly available performance measures in quality outcomes, process measure implementation, patient experience (Home Health CAHPS), quality improvement, and financial performance.
 
“The 2012 HomeCare Elite winners demonstrate a commitment to providing patient-centered care and serving as leaders in the home health community. Their success offers data-driven proof of being well-managed and high quality care providers to hospitals, managed care organizations, ACOs, and other potential referral partners across the healthcare continuum,” said Susan L. Henricks, President and COO of National Research Corporation, the parent company of OCS HomeCare. “Again, this year, we updated our methodology to reflect the rapidly evolving quality-focused healthcare landscape and national value-based purchasing trends. We congratulate Ledyard Regional VNA on being one of the top 100 home care agencies in the country.”

Ledyard Regional VNA’s Administrative Supervisor, Karen Goetchius, credits ongoing education and the staff’s hard work with the company’s ability to rank as one of the HomeCare Elite. She said, "We are honored to be recognized for the 4th year in a row. Our staff is dedicated to our patients to achieve these great quality outcomes.”

 “HomeCare Elite recognition continues to gain importance given the increased regulatory mandates and the threat of shrinking reimbursement revenue. Home health agencies that have earned recognition among the HomeCare Elite demonstrated that they not only can adapt to an evolving marketplace but continue to excel in clinical, patient experience, quality improvement, and financial outcomes,” said Marci Heydt, Product Manager for the post-acute care business group of DecisionHealth.

The HomeCare Elite is the only performance recognition of its kind in the home health profession. The 2012 HomeCare Elite is co-sponsored by National Research Corporation (also known as OCS HomeCare), the leading provider of cross-continuum healthcare metrics and analytics, and DecisionHealth, the publisher of the industry’s most respected independent newsletter Home Health Line. The data used for this analysis were compiled from publicly available information. The entire list of 2012 HomeCare Elite agencies can be downloaded by visiting the National Research Corporation website at www.nationalresearch.com.