What is Home Home Health?

Home health care is a broad term that describes a wide variety of health and health-related services provided within a patient’s residence. Home health care is available to people of all ages with either acute or chronic conditions, as well as people with disabilities and those with terminal illnesses. 

There are two types of home care:

“Non-Medical” refers to companion and personal care activities, such as bathing, grooming, assistance with meal preparation, light housekeeping, running errands and transportation to medical appointments. These types of services are typically provided by a caregiver, Certified Nursing Assistant or non-licensed individual. Non-Medical home care can be scheduled anywhere from a few hours per week to 24-hours a day.

“Skilled” care follows a specific plan of care under the supervision of a physician and can involve nursing care, as well as other services, such as physical and occupational therapy, speech-language therapy and medical social services. Care must be provided by state-licensed healthcare professionals. Most skilled home health care is intermittent, and is designed to provide a short term solution. The healthcare professionals that visit your home will educate and empower you and your caregiver to work on overcoming your health challenges. Home health clinicians will also assist you in changing and improving your environment and/or your health outlook,

Why choose Home Health?

For many patients, home health care is the best alternative to rehospitalization or nursing home placement. The demand for home health care has grown for many reasons. As our elderly population increases, more patients and their families prefer to stay at home and receive medical care there. Improvements in medical science and technology allow many treatments--even those formerly available only in the hospital--to be performed at home. Patients also recover faster from an illness or hospitalization if they receive care in their own homes. In this day and age, patients are often discharged earlier from the hospital than in the past, and they often need some short-term help to complete their recovery. With the aid of home health clinicians, patients can make a successful transition back to life at home. 

Am I allowed to choose my own home health care agency or does my doctor choose one for me?

You are in charge of choosing which agency you invite into your home and trust to care for you or your loved one. Your doctor or hospital staff may have agencies they are accustomed to working with or are even affiliated with, but your choice takes precedence. At CVHCare™, we encourage everyone to shop for an agency just as you would shop for any other important service. Then, make an informed choice based on your own preferences and needs.

Some initial questions to ask a prospective home health agency:

• Are you Medicare certified?

• Who owns the agency, and how long have you been in business?

• Do you offer the services I need (nursing, PT, OT, etc.)?

• Can you meet my special needs (language or cultural preferences)?

• Do you offer the personal care services I need, such as assistance in bathing, dressing, or using the bathroom?

• How does the agency screen potential employees?

• Do you perform background checks when hiring your staff?

For a complete list of helpful tips and questions that can help you in choosing a home health agency, please contact us at 1.877.284.2638.

What is homebound status and why is it important?

For a patient to receive home care benefits under Medicare and most private insurance policies, a physician must certify that you are homebound. If you aren’t homebound, you can obtain medical care, treatment and education about your condition at a clinic, physician office or other outpatient setting.

Homebound does not mean that you are confined to bed, a wheelchair or even confined to the house. It most often means that your require assistance (from a human and/ or a device) to leave your residence. If leaving your home requires a great deal of taxing physical effort on your part, you can also be considered homebound.

Just because a patient does not have a car, does not make him/her homebound. Yet if you cannot walk the two blocks to the bus stop because of your illness, leaving your house would require a great deal of taxing physical effort, and you would be considered homebound. Homebound status is not always permanent. If you are recovering from surgery, an accident or an episode of acute illness, you can be homebound for a short time. Yet once your homebound status changes, you must be discharged to outpatient care or followup health care.

How do I get a doctor's order or prescription for home health care?

You can ask that your doctor send orders to the home health agency that you choose, or the home health agency will create a request and send it to your doctor for authorization. Either way, you do not have to actively participate in picking up or delivering your doctor’s orders. After receiving orders from your physician, a CVHCare™ Patient Care Specialist will contact you within 24 to 48 hours to discuss services and schedule our first visit.

Why did the CVHCare™ Patient Care Specialist ask me about a Face to Face?

Medicare now requires that you visit your doctor 90 days prior to receiving home health care or 30 days after the start of home health services in order for these services to be paid for and covered.

This visit with your doctor is called a Face-to-Face. During the Face-to-Face visit, the doctor will document that the visit has taken place. This requirement is intended to reduce fraud, waste and abuse by ensuring that physicians have actually met with their patients to ascertain their specific home health care needs. The Face-to-Face visit also ensures that all orders are based on the physician's current knowledge of your condition.

How do I know which home health care services I need?

Since CVHCare™ is a full service skilled home health care agency, we provide skilled nursing, physical, occupational and speech therapies, social services, as well as home health aide assistance, when needed.

You will consult with your physician to deterimine which home health services are appropriate for your illness and condition. The physician and CVHCare™  will then set up a plan of care to deliver the services you need and which are covered by insurance or Medicare, including nursing, occupational and speech therapies, and social services. CVHCare can also provide home health aide assistance, although this service is usually not paid for by Medicare or health insurance. 

If you need nursing and/or physical or occupational therapies, and social services,you will be assigned a clinical care team from CVHCare™ who will consult with your physician about your health care needs. The clinical team at CVHCare™ will provide ongoing assessment and treatment of your condition for as long as you need home health services.

Do all insurances cover home health care?

CVHCare™ will verify your insurance coverage at the onset of your home health care. The good news is that home health care is fully covered (100% of charges) by traditional Medicare. There is no co-pay, deductible or out-of-pocket expense if you have Medicare. If you require intermittent skilled nursing care or therapies, you are homebound, and the service has been prescribed by your physician, then Medicare will cover 100% of your care. Qualifications for home health care and coverage of charges from private insurance companies varies.

Why Do I Want A Joint Commission-Accredited Home Health Agency?

CVHCare™ is a Medicare-certified & Joint Commission-accredited agency. Joint Commission accreditation is the best measure and validation of the processes of any health care organization striving for excellence. The Joint Commission sets higher standards than the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). CMS sets rigorous baseline standards for health care organizations, but Joint Commission accreditation goes far beyond the standards of CMS.

Joint Commission-accredited agencies have met stringent criteria for the delivery of safe and high quality patient care. To earn and maintain accreditation, a health care organization must undergo a stringent on-site survey by a Joint Commission survey team at least every three (3) years. Home health agencies that have successfully passed accreditation will proudly display a Joint Commission gold seal on their website or brochure.

How often can I use my home health care benefit?

Medicare covers services 100% of home health care services for as long as you need them and for as long as you are benefiting from them. Unlike outpatient services, there is no limit to the number of visits you can receive, which can be especially important when a patient is receiving physical, occupational, or speech therapies for rehabilitation and recovery.

When Is Skilled Home Care Usually Needed?

There are a wide range of reasons why a patient may find skilled home care beneficial, including:

1. The patient has been recently discharged from the hospital, and home health care will help prevent re-admission.

2. A new diagnosis requires in-home teaching to reinforce the physician's plan of care, and to avoid complications or unplanned hospitalizations.

3. The severity of illness--assessed at a physician office visit--requires treatment, assessment and monitoring at home to shorten recovery time or prevent hospitalization.

4. The patient's medical condition is compromised by physical frailty, cognitive decline and/or social isolation. In these situations, teaching family or designated caregiver's in proper disease management and treatment techniques may help resolve or control the patient's illness.

5. The patient has an exacerbation of an existing illness or his medical condition has worsened, requiring new medications or treatment.

How does CVHCare™ ensure quality care?

CVHCare™ strives for service excellence in delivering home health care. Our excellent home health care is evident from the positive feedback we constantly receive from our patients and their family members, and the strong partnerships we have established with a wide array of community healthcare organizations and health professionals

Providing quality care to clients is paramount to all we do! Our healthcare professionals conduct detailed assessments of patients’ medical and functional status during each and every visit. Patient case conferences with the primary clinician and clinical management team occur weekly to safeguard each patient's health status. These conferences ensure that the patient's plan of care remains effective in helping meet specific needs and goals. When quality outcomes and results indicate the need, changes are made to policies, processes, or personnel. Upon discharge, patients receive a satisfaction survey that is incorporated into our ongoing evaluations of our services. We continually strive to improve patient satisfaction.