Getting Effective Help Depends on Clarity From a Home Care Team
If you need healthcare at home, but you don’t know what services you’re eligible for, you’re not alone. It’s completely normal to feel like you’re in the dark, especially if you’ve never needed this kind of support before.
Phoenix is here to answer your biggest questions about home health services:
- What is home healthcare in general?
- What exactly is “home health” under Medicaid and Medicare?
- What other in-home healthcare services are available to me?
- What are the differences between all these services?
- How do I find a trusted team for these services?
What Is General Home Healthcare?
Home care is a general term that refers to all the healthcare services you can receive at home, such as hospice, private duty care, Healthy Children and Youth private duty nursing, in-home Medicaid services, Department of Mental Health services, and more.
What Are Home Health Services?
You can receive specific healthcare at home through Medicare or private insurance. These are called home health services. For those who qualify, nursing, therapies, and medical social work that were once only delivered at a hospital or another clinical setting are available at home.
To qualify for care through this service, you must meet these requirements:
- Your doctor must certify that you require skilled healthcare services from a nurse, occupational, physical, or speech therapist, or a medical social worker.
- You are homebound, meaning you have an illness or condition that prevents you from leaving the home without assistance from another person, an assistive device like a walker, the use of a special vehicle, or when a doctor advises against leaving home.
Circumstances and conditions that may qualify for care through home health services can include:
- Recent surgery.
- Worsening of a previous diagnosis.
- A new diagnosis.
- A new medication or dosage change.
- A recent fall.
To receive this form of care, you must choose a Medicare- or Medicaid-certified agency. With the support of a leading team, you’ll soon be able to receive visits from professionals committed to helping you stabilize your condition, heal, and feel as well as possible.
Are There Other In-Home Healthcare Services Available for Me?
Home health services aren’t your only option. You can receive other forms of care outside of this service’s specific qualifications and benefits.
Services for adults include:
- Hospice: Hospice services are for individuals with life-limiting conditions who prefer to manage symptoms and pain at home, rather than pursuing further treatment.
- Private duty care: Private duty care offers immediate, flexible in-home support for daily living tasks. No doctor’s order is needed, and care shifts can be customized from two hours all the way to 24/7 care.
- Home and Community-Based In-Home Medicaid Services (HCBS): This federal program offers in-home Medicaid care to individuals with developmental, physical, and intellectual disabilities, and mental illnesses, along with older adults. HCBS allows qualifying individuals to receive help, such as personal care and maintenance nursing, in the comfort of their home.
- Consumer-Directed Services: This service allows you to hire and manage your own personal care attendants, with administrative support from a local home care agency.
- Comprehensive Disease Management (CDM): CDM is a free service that helps individuals with complex medical conditions navigate their healthcare experience through coordination, resources, and advocacy to prevent gaps in care.
Services for children and young adults include:
- Healthy Children and Youth Private Duty Nursing: This nursing service offers specialized pediatric care, enabling children and young adults through age 21 to receive care for their complex medical needs at home.
- Healthy Children and Youth Personal Care: Qualifying children and young adults may be able to receive this service through Missouri Medicaid, which helps with daily routines, personal care, and bodily function devices and procedures.
- Hospice: Hospice services focused on controlling symptoms, comfort, and quality of life at home are also available for children and young adults.
How Do I Tell the Difference Between These Services?
Each of the aforementioned services has its own qualifications and characteristics. For example, some are insurance-based, others are private pay. Some require a doctor’s order, and others do not. To get the best understanding of what services are available to you, take the following steps:
- Click on any of the services we’ve listed above, such as hospice, private duty care, or Healthy Children and Youth Private Duty Nursing, to gain a deeper understanding of what it entails.
- Call a team that offers local services for home healthcare and explain your needs or what your doctor has ordered. An excellent team will listen and help you get set up with the best possible services for your situation.
How Do I Find a Trusted Team for Home Care, Including Home Health Services?
A team that takes the time to hear you out, understand your needs, and set you up with the right services at home is a team worth trusting.
If you or a loved one is struggling with a healthcare challenge and need help at home, you deserve to rely on assistance that makes care convenient and effective. The symptoms of your condition, plus the stress associated with being ill, make navigating the healthcare system difficult. A team that works patiently on your behalf to ensure you’re taken care of is a blessing.
If you’re in the process of researching teams that offer home care, such as home health services, start by checking out the mission, vision, and values on their website. See if their approach and values align with your own. When you find a committed, values-based team, you’ll receive premium care.
