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How to Find Home Health Care Providers
by Sandy Keefe
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Overview
Home health care agencies offer care in a client's home from a variety of health care providers: RNs and LPNs, physical and occupational therapists, speech and language pathologists, social workers, home health aides, homemakers, chore workers, companions, and/or sitters. They may provide that care on an hourly, per visit, or live-in basis. The agency may be profit or non-profit, independent or part of a chain, and either broad or specialized in its scope of services.
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Step 1
Decide what type of home care you need. In many situations, third-party payors require an initial evaluation by an RN from a home care agency or from the payor itself before opening what's known as a case. If you are looking for basic care from a homemaker and are paying for it yourself, there are usually less stringent requirements.
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Step 2
Determine the payment source for the home care you want. You might be eligible for coverage through Medicare, Medicaid, the Veterans Administration, the Older Americans Act, or community organizations. You may have private third-party coverage through a commercial health insurance company, a Medigap insurance plan you purchased to supplement Medicare benefits, worker's compensation insurance, long-term care insurance, your managed care organization, or Champus insurance related to military service. Some people choose to pay privately for home health care because they have no other coverage, or to supplement limited coverage through a third-party payor.
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Step 3
Contact the third-party payor to find out which home health care agencies are covered under your plan. It doesn't make sense to conduct an extensive search for an agency, only to find out your payor won't reimburse that agency for your care. Call a representative from your health plan or search its website to find appropriate agencies in your area.
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Step 4
Search appropriate databases to locate home care agencies that serve your location. Most states have searchable databases through their departments of aging, social services, health, or development disabilities State and national home care organizations will also provide lists of qualified agencies.
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Step 5
Learn more about the quality of care, pricing, and reliability of the agencies you're considering. Some agencies are accredited by The Joint Commission and many are certified by Medicare. Both of those designations ensure the agency follows established standards of care.
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Step 6
Determine whether you need a physician's order for home care services. Many third-party payors require a physician's order for any skilled home health care such as nursing or therapy services. Call the intake coordinator at the agency to ask if he needs an order, and contact your physician if the answer is yes.
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- If you have already have a case manager through a third-party payor or community organization who is helping coordinate your care, consider contacting that expert to help you find the right home care agency.
- If you have already have a case manager through a third-party payor or community organization who is helping coordinate your care, consider contacting that expert to help you find the right home care agency.
- While most home health care agencies deliver top quality care, there are some unscrupulous providers. Contact the health care licensing department for your state of residence or your local Better Business Bureau to see if there are serious complaints lodged against an agency.
- While most home health care agencies deliver top quality care, there are some unscrupulous providers. Contact the health care licensing department for your state of residence or your local Better Business Bureau to see if there are serious complaints lodged against an agency.
