What to Expect from Professional Home Health Care

Home health care is professional medical care provided in a patient’s home. It includes skilled nursing, therapy services and assistance with daily activities. This type of care allows individuals recovering from illness, injury or managing chronic conditions to receive necessary medical attention without hospitalization or facility placement, maintaining dignity and independence in familiar surroundings.

Home health care works through a physician-directed plan delivered by a team of healthcare professionals in your home. After a doctor’s referral, an initial assessment determines specific needs. Then, scheduled visits from nurses, therapists and aides provide treatments, monitoring and education according to the care plan. The team communicates regularly with your doctor, adjusting care as needs change, with the goal of helping patients recover, gain independence or effectively manage ongoing conditions.

Patients typically qualify for home health care services when they have a medical need requiring skilled care, are considered homebound (leaving home requires considerable effort) and need part-time rather than continuous care. A physician must certify this need and create a care plan.

Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance each have specific eligibility requirements, which may include recent hospitalization or a new diagnosis requiring professional management.

Homebound status means your condition leaves you normally unable to leave your home and doing so would require a considerable and taxing effort. You are considered homebound if you are restricted in your ability to leave home without the aid of an assistive device (such as crutches, canes, walkers or wheelchairs) or without the assistance of another person.

You may leave the home as often as you need for medical treatment that cannot be provided in the home. You are allowed brief and infrequent absences from the home for some non-medical reasons, such as an occasional trip to the barber or beauty shop, to attend church, or for unique family events such as a graduation or wedding.

Yes, Medicare does cover home health care when specific criteria are met. These include: requiring skilled nursing or therapy services, being under a doctor’s care with a documented plan, receiving care from a Medicare-certified agency, being homebound and needing part-time or intermittent care. Medicare covers skilled nursing, therapy services, medical social services and part-time home health aide services, but does not cover 24-hour care, meal delivery or homemaker services when those are the only services needed.

During typical visits, Ascend’s skilled nurses:

• Monitor vital signs and assess overall condition
• Provide wound care and medication management
• Collect lab samples when needed
• Educate patients and caregivers about condition management
• Coordinate care with physicians and other team members
• Adjust care plans as needs change

The frequency and duration of visits vary based on medical necessity and physician orders.

The duration of home health visits varies depending on the services provided and your loved one’s specific needs. Typically:

• Initial assessment visits may take 60-90 minutes to thoroughly evaluate needs.
• Routine skilled nursing visits usually last 30-45 minutes.
• Therapy sessions typically run 45-60 minutes.
• Home health aide visits for personal care may last 1-2 hours.

Visit length should be sufficient to complete all necessary care and education without rushing. If you feel visits are too short or too long, discuss your concerns with your Ascend Home Health case manager to ensure your loved one receives appropriate time and attention.