About the Alliance

The Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts is a non-profit trade association of home care agencies that promotes home care as an integral part of the health care delivery system. Founded in 1969, our mission is connecting people and organizations to advance the health of communities through equitable access to quality care and services in the home.

As of May 2025, the Alliance has more than 200 Agency Members from all corners of Massachusetts, as well as nearly 100 Allied and Individual Members. Membership is voluntary – the Alliance is not a government entity – but provides essential resources to our members to help them stay informed and thrive.

To learn more about our daily activities, visit our Calendar of Events or News page. To learn about our services, read our Guide to Member Benefits.

Alliance Mission Statement

group of pleople making hearts with their hands

Our Vision

To be the leading voice of the home care industry in Massachusetts and provide collectively to our members the programs and services which enhance their ability to effectively meet patient and client needs in the ever-changing, complex marketplace.

Our capacity to achieve that vision requires a commitment to the pursuit of intentional strategies to welcome and encourage diversity within our membership and our leadership.

Our Core Values

These core operating values guide our actions, our staff and our Board of Directors:

Responsiveness: We will meet our members’ needs with dynamic programs and services that are current and reflect member input.
Integrity: We will act ethically and honestly with all of our partners and publics.
Passion: We will express and communicate our strong belief in what we do and its value to individuals, families, and society.
Continuous Learning: We commit to the power of shared learning and an approach to care that makes evident our professionalism.
Respect: We welcome open and honest dialogue that respects concurring as well as dissenting viewpoints.
Inclusivity: We commit to aligning our culture and business practices to be a model of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging for all our members.

Code of Ethics

The Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts exists to support and empower our members to advance in-home care as the therapeutic, compassionate, and client-preferred care choice of the future. Its Board of Directors adopted this Code of Business Ethics on May 11, 2011 as a statement that the Alliance and its member agencies stand for integrity and strive to maintain the highest ethical standards. Compliance with the principles set forth in this code is a condition of Agency membership.

Client/Patient Rights

Each client/patient is treated with courtesy and respect. Clients have the right to be informed concerning their care, and to participate in planning and approving the care they receive. Clients’ wishes and preferences are honored whenever possible.
Client privacy is carefully guarded. Personal information is used only as needed for care planning and provision, insurance eligibility, billing, and necessary business operations. Personal information is never shared with unauthorized individuals or discussed in public.
Oral and written statements to clients and to the public honestly and accurately represent services, benefits, costs, and provider capability.
The agency has a procedure to accept, investigate, and respond to client complaints. Clients can file complaints without fear of retaliation.
The agency does not solicit or permit an employee to solicit clients for its services through coercion or harassment.
The agency makes reasonable efforts to ensure that clients have their on-going home care needs addressed and, whenever reasonably possible, gives advance notice before discontinuing services.

Quality Standards

The agency ensures that all caregiving staff are properly qualified, adequately trained, and periodically supervised to meet the needs of the clients they serve. The agency ensures that employees get continuing education and in-service training to update their knowledge and skills.
The agency conducts a criminal background check and checks references for all caregiving staff before they are assigned to provide care.
The agency develops a written plan of care, service plan, or care plan for each of its clients, and gives a copy of that plan to the client. Services comply with accepted standards of quality and professional practice.
The agency performs periodic supervisory visits for each of its clients to ensure that care is being provided consistent with the written plan of care, and that it is updated as necessary.
The agency has procedures to provide on-call or back-up staff to fill in for caregiving staff in case of illness or emergencies.
The agency has a written procedure in place to respond swiftly and compassionately whenever client abuse, neglect, or theft is suspected or alleged.

Business Practices

The agency conducts business in accordance with fair business practices and complies with all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations, including wage and hour, workers compensation, and anti-discrimination laws.
The agency directly employs not less than 90% of all caregiving staff, or contracts with other agencies that directly employ their workers. Caregiving staff are not treated as independent contractors.
The agency maintains comprehensive general liability insurance covering its employees while they are providing services to its clients.
The amount billed or paid for goods and services is commensurate with the amount and type of goods and services provided. The agency does not engage in fraud.
The agency does not, either directly or indirectly, solicit, offer, receive or provide illegal compensation, gifts, kick-backs or fees to or from any person or entity for the purpose of inducing or influencing such person or entity to obtain referrals from or refer clients to the agency.
The agency does not require caregiving staff to agree to a non-compete clause as a condition of employment.
The agency maintains records of all care and services provided and the client’s response to the care and service.