Home Services Home Care Services Home Health

Home Health

Home health services provide short-term, skilled medical care for people who are recovering from an illness, injury, surgery or hospitalization, or who need help managing a medical condition at home. The goal is to help patients get stronger, stay safe, avoid unnecessary hospital visits, and maintain as much independence as possible.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Receive Care in the Comfort of Home: Patients can remain in their own homes surrounded by family, personal belongings, and familiar routines, which often improves comfort, reduces stress, and promotes healing.
  • Improve Independence: Home health clinicians help patients maximize their ability to safely manage daily activities, medications, mobility, and health conditions, allowing them to remain independent for as long as possible.
  • Reduce Hospital Readmissions: Skilled nursing visits help identify changes in a patient’s condition early, provide disease management education, and coordinate care with providers, reducing the risk of unnecessary hospitalizations and emergency department visits.
  • Personalized One-on-One Care: Unlike care in institutional settings, home health visits are individualized and focused on each patient’s specific goals, medical needs, home environment, and support systems.
  • Increased Safety at Home: Home health professionals assess the home environment for fall risks and safety concerns, recommending modifications, equipment, and strategies to prevent injury.
  • Family and Caregiver Support: Caregivers receive education, training, and resources to help them confidently assist their loved one while reducing caregiver stress.
  • Better Coordination of Care: The home health team communicates regularly with the patient’s physician and other healthcare providers to ensure coordinated, comprehensive care.
  • Cost-Effective Care: Receiving skilled care at home is often less expensive than prolonged hospitalization, skilled nursing facility care, or repeated emergency visits when appropriate for the patient’s condition.

  • Skilled Nursing Care: Administered by registered and licensed practical nurses, these services include complex wound care, ostomy care, medication management, management of urinary catheters, monitoring chronic or serious health conditions, and educating patients on how to successfully manage their care at home.
  • Therapies: Along with helping patients regain mobility and strength, our physical and occupational therapists can help patients be more successful in managing self-care activities.
  • Home Health Aide Services: Certified nursing assistants help patients with daily activities such as bathing, dressing and grooming.
  • Medical Social Services: We offer support in accessing counseling and community resources, and we help patients to navigate healthcare systems.
  • After-Hours Support: Triage nurses are available by phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Medicare part A (hospital insurance) and/or Medicare part B (medical insurance), Medicaid and most private insurance cover eligible home health services as long as you need part-time or intermittent skilled services and you are homebound, which means:

  • Due to an illness or injury, you need typically assistance to leave your home (including using a cane, wheelchair, walker, crutches, special transportation or help from another person).
  • Leaving your home isn’t recommended because of your condition.
  • You are normally unable to leave your home because it is taxing and requires a major effort.

Referrals can be received from many sources including physicians’ offices, hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, family, friends or self-referrals. However, because home care services are considered medical care, your physician must approve of your care plan. To receive home health services, you must fulfill these requirements:

  • You must have a face-to-face visit with your healthcare provider.
  • Your provider must certify your need for skilled intermittent home healthcare.
  • Your provider must initiate services by sending an order to the home health agency.
  • Your provider must work with the home health team to create a care plan to address your needs and goals.

Resources

Acceptance to Service Policy: Information about the general criteria for admission to Confluence Health home care services, including details about referral sources, the referral process and more.

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