If you also need skilled services, then the home health agency can provide a Home Health Aide to assist you with personal care on an intermittent basis. If you do not require any skilled services, but only want someone to provide personal care or stay with the patient several hours a day, then you need a personal sitter or private duty non-skilled services. Although our agency does not provide sitter or caregiver services, our staff is familiar with resources and are available to help you research the availability of these services.

Medicare regulations define “skilled services” as services that must be performed by a professional clinician that are reasonable and necessary for the treatment of your illness or injury. For example, care provided by a registered nurse or licensed therapist is considered “skilled”. Our team will determine with you and your physician the kind of skilled care you will need

You are considered “homebound” if you have difficulty leaving home by yourself, require great assistance to leave home, and/or do not leave home frequently, due to your medical condition. An occasional trip to the barber shop, beauty parlor, church services, or a physician’s appointment is ok. Driving yourself to the store, frequent outings to non-treatment type locations would indicate that you don’t need services provided in your home.

Your physician must determine your need for home-based care and write an order for the care. Medicare, Medicaid, and most private insurance companies have homebound and skilled needs requirements. Medicare patients must also have a documented visit with a physician within 90 days prior to the start of home care or 30 days after the start of home care. This visit with a physician must be related to the need for home health services.

We are happy to answer any questions you may have about the many services we provide. However, we must have a physician’s order to provide care and a physician who will sign the home health orders. Talk to your doctor about your need for home health services.

Care is provided wherever “home” is for the patient. This can be in a residence that belongs to the patient or caregiver, in an assisted living facility, or in a retirement or adult home. Home health care cannot be provided in a nursing home or hospital, although HOSPICE care can be provided in those locations.

No. All care is intermittent, with the frequency of visits determined by the physician and home health clinician. Typically, visits are 30 minutes to an hour long (depending on your needs) and from one to three times per week. Appointment times are approximate.

Home health is a physician ordered service designed to enable patients to maximize their ability to function safely at home by teaching patients and their caregivers how to provide effective, appropriate care. Symptom management, medication management, infusion therapy, wound therapy, mobility, and home safety issues are among the many needs covered.  The goal is to assist the patient and caregiver to learn to care for themselves and eventually manage their own care, whenever possible.