What Is Home Health Care?

Home health care is medical care that is provided to patients or individuals in their homes. This kind of health care that includes different skilled care services such as skilled nursing care, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language therapy, and medical social services. These skilled care services are provided by different skilled health care professionals at home.

The health care professionals at home or home health staff coordinate the care and therapy with the patient’s doctor. The patient’s doctor, together with the health professionals at home or home health staff, creates a plan of care for the patient. This plan of care is a written plan of care that includes the services that the patient is going to receive in order to achieve the best physical, mental, and social well-being. The home health staff also keeps the patient’s doctor updated about the patient’s plan of care, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The CMS, under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), provides health coverage to more than 100 million American people through Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and the Health Insurance Marketplace.

How Does Home Health Care Work?

Home health care works through several steps. The first step is to acquire a doctor’s order. The doctor’s order states that the doctor is certifying that the patient needs home health care services at home.

The next step is to find a home health care agency to work with. A home health care agency is the one that will be communicating with the patient’s physician in order to develop a detailed health care plan. The health care plan is based on the patient’s needs which are established during an initial consultation with the patient’s home health care staff.

Next is the home health care staff to implement the patient’s home health care plan. The updates on the patient’s home health care plan are communicated regularly to the patient’s doctor. The home health care staff’s frequency and type of home health care visits depend on the patient’s needs.

Types Of Home Health Care Services We Offered

There are different types of home health care services we offer. The first type is doctor care. Doctor care is when a doctor visits a patient at home to diagnose and treat the patient’s illness. The patient’s home health care needs may be reviewed by the patient’s doctor regularly.

The next type of home health care service is nursing care. Nursing care includes different medical care services like wound dressing, ostomy care, intravenous therapy, medication administration, general health monitoring, pain control, and other health support that are performed by nurses. A registered nurse sets up the plan of care for the patient receiving care.

Another type of home health care service is physical therapy. Physical therapy is when a physical therapist makes a plan of care to assist the patient in regaining strength in the patient’s muscles and joints. Occupational therapy is when the occupational therapist helps the patient with physical, social, developmental, or emotional disabilities to relearn daily functions such as eating, bathing, dressing, and other things.

The next type of home health care service is medical social services. Medical social services are provided by medical social workers or employees. Medical social workers conduct counseling and locating of community resources to help the patient recover from an illness or injury. The patient may also have the social worker as their case manager if the case of the patient is very complex and needs to coordinate many services.

Another type of home health care service is care from health aides. Home health aides offer assistance in the patient’s basic personal needs like getting out of bed, walking, bathing, and dressing. Aside from basic personal needs, home health aides with specialized training can also assist in specialized care under the nurse’s supervision.

The next type of home health care service is the homemaker or basic assistance care. A homemaker is a person who provides assistance in household chores or tasks, such as meal preparation, laundry, grocery shopping, and other housekeeping items.

Another type of home health care service is pharmaceutical services. Pharmaceutical services include the delivery of medicine and medical equipment at home as well as training on how to take medicines or how to use the medical equipment or other medical techniques like intravenous therapy.

Who Is Eligible For Home Health Care?

Medicare’s home health care benefits are eligible for people who meet several conditions. The first condition is that the patient’s doctor must decide if the patient needs medical care at home. Once the doctor has decided that the patient requires medical care at home, the doctor should make a plan of care at home for the patient.

The next condition is that the patient must require at least one of the skilled care services. Skilled care services include skilled nursing care, physical therapy, speech-language therapy, occupational therapy, intravenous or nutrition therapy, wound care for pressure sores or surgical wounds, patient and caregiver education, injections, and health status and serious illness monitoring.

The next condition is that the patient must be homebound. Being homebound means that the patient cannot leave home without assistance because it is taxing for the patient. The patient may leave home for medical treatment or short non-medical reasons. Non-medical reasons may include attending religious services or going to a salon.

The last condition is that the home health agency providing the home health care services must be certified by Medicare. Medicare has an online directory for certified home health agencies that are accessible to the patient. The patient needs to input the patient’s location, including the street name, zip code, city, or state.

Medicaid has several eligibility criteria to be met. The first is the patient must be 21 years old and over and a resident in the state in which Medicaid Home Care applies. Medicaid pays for in-home care in all 50 states in the United States.

The next is the financial criteria. Financial criteria include the income and assets of the patient. The income of the patient has its limit determined based on the state where the patient lives. Most states limit an individual’s monthly income to either 100% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), which is up to $1,133 per month, or 100% of the Supplemental Security Income (SSI), which is up to $841 per month. The assets of the patient are limited to $2000.

The next is the level of care needed. The level of medical need for regular Medicaid must establish the patient’s need for assistance with activities of daily living. These activities include assistance with mobility, transfer from a bed to a chair, toiletry, eating, bathing, doing laundry, and meal preparation.

What Should I Expect From My Home Health Care?

There are several things that you should expect from my home health care, according to Medicare. First is that the initiative for home health care must start with your doctor. Your doctor gives an order by referring you to a home health agency to receive home health services. The home health agency arranges an initial appointment at your home to discuss your needs and gather information about your health. The following pieces of information are asked of you, such as your diet, your blood pressure, temperature, heart rate, and breathing, your drug prescription and treatment schedule if they are being followed, your pain experience if there are any, and your safety at home.

Second, the home health agency staff must be in regular communication with your doctor to keep your doctor updated about your plan of care and progress.

Lastly, the home health agency staff must meet with you on a regular basis or if your doctor has ordered it. This allows the home agency staff to coordinate your care with your doctor and with your caregiver.

What Home Health Care Is Covered By Medicaid?

Medicaid covers the following home health care services. These home health care services may vary by state and program.

• Intermittent or part-time nursing services including skilled nurse visits
• Aide visits
• Physical therapy services
• Occupational therapy
• Speech or language therapy
• Personal care assistance with bathing, grooming, dressing, eating, medication, administration, and transferring
• Assistance with instrumental activities of daily living such as shopping, housekeeping, laundry, and meal preparation
• Assistance with transportation for medical appointments.

Is Home Health Care Is Tax Deductible?

Yes, home health care is tax deductible as long as it is performed by a home health care agency staff and meets several requirements such as the patient or client must be chronically ill, the care must be prescribed by a licensed healthcare professional, and the care must be approved by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to be tax deductible.

The IRS includes medical and personal care services like assistance with activities of daily living, such as bathing, dressing, and eating for patients or clients who are chronically ill. Other home health care services that are qualified are giving medication, wound care, and helping with disease management.

For more information on Home health care providers please contact Specialized Home Care to get you the care that is right for you.