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Is there a difference between Home Health service and Hospice care? What is the difference between Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy? Does Home Health provide medications? Where exactly can Home Health services be provided? Is my physician still in charge of my care when I am on Home Health Services? Will Medicare allow someone to set up my medications for me? Are blue pads and diapers provided to clients under the home health Medicare benefit? Will my Ostomy supplies be covered under Medicare while on service for home health? Is Medicare the only payor source for Home Health Services? Does Medicare pay for Home Health Aide services? How long can I have Home Health Service?
What is Home bound Status? The patient should be confined to the home to receive covered home health services under Part A. The patient does not have to be bedridden, but their condition should be such that there exists a normal inability to leave home and leaving home would require a considerable and taxing effort. If the patient does leave home the patient is still considered homebound if the absences are infrequent or for periods of relatively short duration or there is a need to leave home for medical treatment. There are occasional absences from the home for non-medical purposes such as an occasional trip to the barber, a walk around the block, a drive with family or caregiver, attendance at a family reunion, funeral, religious event and/or graduation. These are meant to illustrate the kinds of infrequent or unique events a patient may attend and still remain homebound. -back to top What is the difference between Home Health services provided in the home and Private Duty Services (or often referred to as Attendant Care)? Home Health services provided in the home are usually covered by MediCARE, MediCAID or some type of private insurance. We must have a physician order, the services must be provided by a nurse or therapist and the client must be homebound. (Medicaid patients are not required to be homebound) Private Duty services are usually paid for by the client or the family of the client. Sometimes these are hands on services, such as bathing and helping the client by actually providing hands on or touching the client. Some services are just for cleaning, preparing meals and providing social support to the client. See Faith In Home Services, LLC.-back to top Is there a difference between Home Health service and Hospice care? Home Health services are designed to restore a patient to a prior level of function with the use of medical intervention, education and monitoring from a variety of disciplines including nursing, therapies, home health aides and medical social work support. Home Health Services are generally short term treatment in the home for those patients who find it difficult to leave their home to receive their health care. Hospice services are designed for longer term support for those patients who have chronic progressive diseases who have been determined by their physician to be terminally ill. Our desire is to allow patients to remain in the home, wherever that may be. Some of the goals of Hospice are to provide education related to the disease process, emotional support for patients and their caregivers and after the death of the patient we follow the family or caregivers for an additional 18 months to ensure that they are coping with the death of their loved one. A variety of disciplines make up the hospice team including: physicians, nurses, therapists, social workers, home health aides, chaplains, volunteers and bereavement support staff. -back to top What is the difference between Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy? The primary purpose of physical therapy is to optimize human performance through the evaluation, prevention and treatment of acute and chronic movement dysfunction. Occupational therapy is a health profession that helps people regain, develop and build skills that are important for independent functioning. Occupational therapists work with patients to maximize independence and safety with activities of daily living: grooming, dressing, bathing, toileting and home chores. -back to top Does Home Health provide medications? No, medications are not provided by the home health agency. -back to top Where exactly can Home Health services be provided? Home Health services are provided in what is considered to be the client’s home. This could be a private home, assisted living, residential care home, etc. -back to top Is my physician still in charge of my care when I am on Home Health Services? Yes, your physician or the physician that has ordered home health services is in charge of your care. Home Health services can not be provided without a physician’s order and an approved plan of care by the physician. -back to top Will Medicare allow someone to set up my medications for me? Medicare does not cover medication set up for clients. Medicare will cover medication set up during the time a home health agency is providing another skill to a client in the home. -back to top Are blue pads and diapers provided to clients under the home health Medicare benefit? Diapers and blue pads are not part of the bundled supplies provided to the client. Medicare will only pay for diapers and blue pads that are used to provide care at a routine visit. -back to top Will my Ostomy supplies be covered under Medicare while on service for home health? Yes, ostomy supplies are covered and will be supplied to the client while on home health service providing that they are the same brand and type that the client is using. Most home health agencies stock only one brand and those that are typically used. The home health agency is not required to carry other brands that the client wants to use. -back to top Is Medicare the only payor source for Home Health Services? No, MediCARE, MediCAID, and private insurances such as BCBS and Aetna. -back to top Does Medicare pay for Home Health Aide services? Medicare will pay for home health aide services only during the time that the client has another skilled service providing care. Those skilled services include: nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy. Additional home health aide services can be provided under Faith In Home Services, LLC. (insert link) -back to top How long can I have Home Health Service? Home Health services can be provided as long as there is a skilled need for the home health agency to provide service. With physical therapy, the client will need to show improvement. With most of the private insurances, a client’s needs will be assessed by a case manger. There could be restrictions as to the benefits that the insurance covers, also. If you have private insurance, it is important you are familiar with what your insurance will cover. -back to top |