Choosing home health care provider for your love one is very important. Nobody can provide care and knows the patient more than you do. So, screening the right agency is crucial.
Here is a checklist to guide you in the selection process:
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Is the home health agency is certified by Medicare or medicaid and do they accept private insurance.
> Some patients are not covered yet by Medicare or Medicaid yet. It is also important to know if the agency is in network with the private insurance that they have.
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What services are provided by the home health agency?
> Each discipline should also provide documentation of the treatment or services rendered during each visit. This will serve as their coordination to meet the goals of the patient. Case conferences are also held on a regular basis to discuss the progress of each patient.
> Most home health agency provide the following services:
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Nursing
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Physical Therapy
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Occupational Therapy
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Speech Language Pathologist
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Home Health Aide
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Social Worker
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Are the caregivers insured by the agency. On certain occasions, even professional caregivers may commit mistakes. They also need protection from any untoward incidents.
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Respects the privacy of the patient. This also includes respecting the rights of the patient. They should provide a copy of their Privacy Policy during the initial admission or screening process.
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Clinicians are trained, certified and licensed. They should have regular continuing education and certification. This is required by law to be able to continue their practice, be competent in providing care and to keep up with the updates in their fields.
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Available caregiver 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The goal of home health care is to keep the patients healthy and stable in their homes. That means, going back to the hospital is the last possible option.
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Good reputation in providing care. Ask for feedback from previous clients who received services from the agency. Include asking about the effectiveness of the treatments provided and the length of time they recovered from their illness.
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What medical programs do they provide? Each agency has their own specialized programs for each medical condition. These may include:
> Wound care – dressing the wound and healing
> Cardiovascular disease – e.g coronary artery disease, abnormal heart rhythms, heart failure, heart attack, heart valve failure, congenital heart disease, and vascular disease.
> Pulmonary disease – e.g COPD, pneumonia, emphysema, tuberculosis, cystic fibrosis and bronchitis.
> Neurological disease – e.g stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis and dementia.
This checklist is not the end all and be all. This article aims to be a guide on how choose the right home health care agency to take care of your loved ones recovering from their illness. And when choosing, also consider the patient’s goals, interest, safety and preferences.
To check the top home health care and hospice providers click on the link: http://top100-hospice-homehealth.com/Portals/7/docs/12195_Top-100-HHA-RankingSheets.pdf
Another valuable tool in choosing the right home health care agency is through their star rating. Click on the link to find the star rating of the agencies available in your area: https://www.medicare.gov/homehealthcompare/search.html