An Interview with Roger Herr, VNSNY’s New Home Care Regional Vice President

In late August, Roger Herr returned to VNSNY after a 15-year hiatus to take over the management of VNSNY Home Care’s operations in Queens, Long Island and Westchester following the retirement of Eloise Goldberg.

Q: Welcome! How does it feel to be back?

Wonderful! I’m happy to see many people here that I knew from my previous time at VNSNY. That longevity really speaks to how passionate everyone at VNSNY is about their work. And of course, there are a lot of new faces, too.

Q: You know VNSNY well from your previous time here, in the late 1980s through the early 2000s. What jobs did you have back then?

I started at VNSNY as a physical therapist in the field, when I was still in grad school. Spanish Harlem was my first neighborhood. I was studying healthcare management at the time, and after I graduated an opportunity arose to work as VNSNY’s rehabilitation manager in Manhattan. I went on to assist with some strategic initiatives in telehealth and some other areas. Then I moved into business development when VNSNY expanded into Westchester, helping to support our post-acute rehabilitation services in that county.

Q: Could you briefly walk us through what you did after that?

After I left VNSNY, I moved to Seattle and later northern California, working for various organizations, including a non-profit hospital-based system, a for-profit home care company, a data analytics firm, and a large integrated health system. Most recently, I returned east and worked for five years with a health plan providing care to people with physical disabilities here in New York City. It was all great experience, and it also gave me a tremendous appreciation for the scope and resources that VNSNY has.

Q: What led you to return to VNSNY?

First and foremost, I have the utmost respect for our organization’s mission. I couldn’t turn down this opportunity to support our people who provide care in the community, and to help carry the tradition of VNSNY forward. To step into the shoes of some amazing predecessors in these regions is an honor.

Q: What are your top priorities in your new role?

Our fundamental purpose is taking care of patients in their home, and my job is to support our clinicians and administrative staff in doing that. My top priority right now is getting our regions fully transitioned to the Homecare Homebase EMR system by the end of the year. Another big change is VNSNY Home Care’s shift to a branch structure, which is happening simultaneously with the Homecare Homebase implementation.

Q: How do you see these changes impacting VNSNY’s patient care?

Caring for patients in their home is what VNSNY is built on. We can’t remove all the rules and regulations, but if we can make our documentation and other systems as streamlined and efficient and consistent as possible, then our clinicians and support staff can focus on delivering good care. We all have the identities of our disciplines and our regions, but what unites us is VNSNY and the fact that we’re delivering care in the home. That’s a badge to wear with honor. Home care clinicians are the most autonomous professionals in their fields: They have to manage everything they do, from their patient care to their documentation time to their travel. We’ve got to appreciate, respect and support them in that—and that’s what excites me.