How to Select a Home Healthcare Agency?

Answer 1

If you are a Medicare recipient, you may qualify to use the services of home healthcare agencies to help you with your recovery. When seniors have an injury or illness that requires treatment, they may receive services at in-home healthcare facilities, as long as the treatment is necessary as well as reasonable.

In order for seniors to become eligible for the Medicare home care benefits, they will need to use home healthcare agencies, which are certified by Medicare and which provide service for their geographic area. These home healthcare facilities must meet specific health and safety requirements outlined by the Federal government in order to participate in the program.

Some factors, which you should consider when selecting at-home agencies that provide healthcare services include:

•The type of Medicare insurance coverage you have usually determines the agencies that you can select.

•In the case of Managed Care Plans such as Medicare Advantage, only agencies that have been contracted by these Plans will be able to provide you with care.

•Compare agencies and use checklist for home health agency to help you with your selection. Find out information about the agency’s ability to provide specific healthcare services such as physical therapy, personal care such as bathing and dressing and meet your special needs.

•You can only use one home healthcare agency at a time and you can terminate your relationship with the agency at any time. However, you will need to get a referral from your doctor to transfer to another agency.

•If an agency is unable to take care of your medical needs, it can refuse to accept you as a patient. However, the agency cannot refuse you as a Medicare patient because of your condition, unless they refuse other patients with a similar condition.

•Use the Medicare Home Health Compare features to help you decide on the measures, which are most important to you when selecting in-home healthcare facilities. They may include meeting activities of daily living, improvement in getting around or handling patient medical emergencies.

•Seek the help of your doctor, social worker or the discharge planner at the hospital in finding the right at-home facilities for your needs.