Home Health care is an essential part of the healthcare system in the United States. When a patient needs medical care but has a tough time leaving their house without help, that’s usually a good indication that Home Health is necessary. But who qualifies for Home Health services? This blog will briefly answer this question.
Medicare
For Medicare to pay for home health services, the care must come from an agency that is Medicare certified. To have Medicare certification, there are several rules they must follow. For example, they must offer physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy. They also must provide intermittent skilled nursing care. There are more standards that you can read on Medicare’s website.
Following these rules set by Medicare, we can see the criterion a patient must meet to qualify for home health services. For example, the patient must be under the care of a doctor and must be “getting services under a plan of care created and reviewed regularly by a doctor.” In addition, a doctor must certify that the patient needs either intermittent skilled nursing care or specialized therapy. Skilled nursing care can involve medication administration, wound care, injections, catheter care, and other services that only a licensed nurse can administer. Specialized therapies are things like physical therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, etc. Finally, a doctor must also certify that the patient is homebound—meaning they have trouble leaving home without help.
It’s vital to recognize that each patient has different needs. At Aspire, we take special care to make sure that we meet the needs of each of our patients. We do everything we can to personalize our care plans with our patients’ doctors to accommodate their goals and lifestyle. You can learn more about our Home Health services in this blog.
If you’d like to learn more about the services Aspire Home Health and Hospice can offer or if you’d like to see if you or a loved one qualifies for home health, give us a call today!
