Five things you should know about home health care - For people in need of health care in their homes, services can range from skilled nursing and physical therapy to geriatric care and companionship. Here, HCR Home Care, a home health care agency located at 85 Metro Park in Rochester, provides five things anyone considering home health care needs to know.
1 Home health care typically describes both medical or non-medical assistance provided to individuals in the comfort of their residence. Depending on the circumstance, these services may be paid for by insurance or privately by the individual.
2 When evaluating potential home health care providers, you should ask about licenses, certifications, outcomes and patient satisfaction. Full-service, certified or licensed home health care agencies, like HCR Home Care, are reviewed and approved by the state, and must adhere to state and federal regulations designed to protect patient safety. Such agencies will provide supervision of all personnel and perform pre-employment criminal background checks, drug screening and reference checks on all staff.
3 To determine if someone qualifies for insurance-paid home health care services, an in-home assessment is typically done. Qualification standards for home care services vary by insurance company and plan. For Medicare, patients are generally eligible for home health care if they are homebound; need intermittent, skilled nursing care or therapy; and are under a physician’s care.
4 Private care is typically contracted by patients who would like to have home health care services, but whose insurance company does not deem it a medically-necessary service at the time. Often, family members contract for private-pay home health care services when they cannot take care of their loved ones themselves and want the peace-of-mind that they are being taken care of.
5 Home health care services are often recommended by a patient’s physician or by a discharge planner at the hospital if the person has been hospitalized. These individuals will generally initiate a referral to a home health care agency based on patient choice. Alternatively, patients may contact a home health care agency at any time and ask for assistance in starting services
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