Home Health Care is a wonderful service, but it can be confusing to know whether it’s the right option for you. I am a new employee at Aspire Home Health and Hospice, so I’ll be going on this journey with you to discover exactly what Home Health and Hospice are and how they benefit us as a community. Together, I’m hoping we can learn all about these services and decide whether they’re the right choice for you or your family.
I think it’s important to define what Home Health Care is before we decide if it’s the right option for us. Home Health Care is heath care or supportive care provided by a professional caregiver in the individual home where the patient or client is living. When I think of health care, I typically think of doctors’ offices, clinics, and nurses. Home Health Care takes the resources and experience of clinics and nursing homes and brings them to you in your home when leaving your home is not an option. Just like a doctor’s office and as it is with nearly every form of healthcare, Home Health exists to help patients heal and get better.
You may be wondering what services are available through Home Health. Seven of the major services we provide are:
- Nursing care
- Physical Therapy
- Social Work
- Pain Management
- Joint Replacement Therapy
- CNA Services
- Diabetic Management
One important note is that in order to be approved for Home Health Care, a referral from a physician is required. There are several needs and medical conditions that physicians look for to be sure Home Health is right for their patients. Here are some of the most common medical conditions for which we receive referrals:
- Total knee or hip replacement recovery
- IV and infusions
- Urinary tract infections
- Physical therapy
- Speech therapy
- Medical social services
- Part-time or intermittent home health aide services
- Injectable osteoporosis drugs for women
This list is by no means exhaustive, but these are the most common conditions we see in referrals for Home Health Care. This being said, there are a few other qualifiers we need to include to make sure the care is covered by Medicare. This list is copied verbatim from the Medicare website.
- You must be under the care of a doctor, and you must be getting services under a plan of care created and reviewed regularly by a doctor.
- You must need, and a doctor must certify that you need, one or more of the following:
- Intermittent skilled nursing care (other than drawing blood)
- Physical therapy, speech-language pathology, or continued occupational therapy services. These services are covered only when the services are specific, safe and an effective treatment for your condition. The amount, frequency and time period of the services needs to be reasonable, and they need to be complex or only qualified therapists can do them safely and effectively. To be eligible, either: 1) your condition must be expected to improve in a reasonable and generally predictable period of time, or 2) you need a skilled therapist to safely and effectively make a maintenance program for your condition, or 3) you need a skilled therapist to safely and effectively do maintenance therapy for your condition. The home health agency caring for you is approved by Medicare (Medicare certified).
- You must be homebound, and a doctor must certify that you’re homebound [meaning you need the help of another person or medical equipment such as crutches, a walker, or a wheelchair to leave your home, or your doctor believes that your health or illness could get worse if you leave your home. It is difficult for you to leave your home and you typically cannot do so].
I understand that this can be a very confusing topic. Luckily, Aspire has some of the best Home Health agents in the business. We are happy to answer any questions and clear up any confusion you may have.
As I stated above, I am brand new to Aspire. I’m really looking forward to learning and growing with you through this blog. Once every week, I’ll be writing a new blog post all about what I’ve learned recently about Home Health and/or Hospice care. But, I’d love to hear from you, too. The comment section of these blogs will be a great resource to have discussions and promote community growth. Go ahead and put any thoughts or insights you have in the comments!
If you have any questions about Aspire, Home Health Care in general, or if you feel Home Health Care is right for you, please give us a call at (801) 292-0296.
