Finding A Home Care Agency

There are thousands of home care agencies around the country.  Some provide skilled nursing care which would include services of Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses, Certified Nursing Assistants, Home Health Aides and Therapists.  Generally, this care is covered through Medicare, Medicaid and some private insurance companies and are provided on an intermittent basis.  The average visit lasts for 45 minutes and are ordered by a physician for a prescribed for a specific time.  These home health agencies are licensed and supervised by the State to insure that they are following Medicare rules and regulations.

The other type of home care agency provides services that allow an individual to maintain their independence at home.  Generally speaking they employ C.N.A.s and H.H.A.s who are qualified to assist clients with their personal care, bathing, grooming, transfers, medication reminders, meal preparation and  housekeeping.  Most offer services for anywhere from four to twenty-four hours a day depending on the needs of the client.  If the level of care allows the care giver to get eight hours of sleep, some agencies offer Live-In care givers.  The patient is responsible for room and board.  Normally Live-In care givers work on a four/three day split which means two employees will be involved.  Services for Live-In's are paid and billed on a flat rate per twenty-four hour period.  The obvious advantage to having this type of care giving arrangement is that it minimizes the number of people coming into the patients home.  The services described above are classified as "custodial care" and are not covered by Medicare, Medicaid or private insurance.  Over the last decade long term care insurance has been offered in most areas of the country.  In most cases the policy will reimburse a certain amount of money per day.  Most policies that we at Integrity Nursing Services have encountered pay $100.00 per day as long as the care is ordered by the physician.  They also require certain activities of daily living (ADLs) be provided for reimbursement to occur.  It's important that the agency verify the coverage with the insurance company prior to the start of care to insure against any misunderstandings.  The agency should be willing to file the claims for the client and include the required documentatiion.  Most agencies will require the patient to pay the bill on a weekly basis and wait for reimbursement form the insurer.

There are many ways to pick an agency and in my next post we will outline the characteristics of a good home care agency.