{"id":928,"date":"2018-07-23T10:30:36","date_gmt":"2018-07-23T10:30:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.flnavigator.com\/health\/?p=928"},"modified":"2020-10-03T01:34:54","modified_gmt":"2020-10-03T01:34:54","slug":"home-health-care-and-medicare-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flnavigator.com\/healthfairs\/2018\/07\/social-services\/home-health-care-and-medicare-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Home Health Care and Medicare (updated 2018)"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>by Robert Goodman, MSW<\/h2>\n<p><a name=\"_GoBack\"><\/a> <span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Medicare covers home health care services for someone meeting these conditions:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Your doctor must decide that you need medical care at home, and make a plan for your care at home. <\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">You must need intermittent skilled nursing care, physical therapy, speech-language therapy, or to continue occupational therapy.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">The home health agency caring for you must be approved by the Medicare <\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">You must be homebound, or normally unable to leave home without help. <\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">If you meet all four of the conditions above, Medicare will cover the following types of home health care:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Skilled nursing care<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Home health aide services<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Physical therapy<\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">, speech-language therapy, and occupational therapy<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Medical social services<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Certain medical supplies<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Durable medical equipment<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Medicare does not cover homemaker services like shopping, cleaning, and laundry; and <\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Personal care given by home health aides like bathing, dressing, and using the bathroom <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><b>when this is the only care you need<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">. <\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">There are several types of home care providers. Only Medicare approved home health care agencies are covered by Medicare. Private pay services include nurse registries and companion services. There are some private pay home health agencies that provide the services listed above.<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><b>Companion\/Homemaker: <\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Services include companionship, errands, escorts, meal preparation, and homemaking. <\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><b>Home Health Agency: <\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Recruits, screens, and hires their staff as employees. Services include home health care, skilled nursing, physical\/occupational\/speech therapy, companions, homemakers. May provide 24-hour live-in aides.<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><b>Nurse Registry<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">: Recruits, screens, and refers aides, who are independent contractors, to clients. Services include nurses, respite care, home health aides, companions, homemakers, and 24-hour live-in aides. <\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">There are many different types of personnel who may be handling your care. Besides therapists and social workers, there are different types of home care workers who may come into your home.<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><b>Companion\/Homemaker <\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">May do the following: Prepares\/serves meals, does housekeeping, and accompany client on errands\/trips. The Companion\/Homemaker must have some training in topics related to human development and interpersonal relationships, nutrition, marketing, food storage, use of equipment and supplies, planning and organizing of household tasks, and principles of cleanliness and safety.<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><b>Home Health Aide (HHA)<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"> In addition to the services provided by a Companion\/Homemaker, a HHA may provide &#8220;hands on&#8221; personal care, which includes assistance in the activities of daily living, such as bathing, grooming, dressing, personal hygiene, eating, and assistance in physical transfer and ambulation. Some HHA\u2019s can be trained to supervise medication. Most HHA\u2019s have a high school diploma, although it is not required. To work for a Medicare or Medicaid home health agency, a HHA must complete 75+ hours of training or successfully complete a competency evaluation given by the home health agency.<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><b>Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA) <\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">provides the same types of services as the Home Health Aide, but the CNA is certified by the state, a high school or G.E.D is required, and typically receives a higher rate of pay. The programs are 6-12 weeks in length and include &#8220;hands-on&#8221; care giving experience. <\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><b>Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) <\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">provides services such as monitoring vital signs, preparing and giving injections, enemas, help in evaluation of the needs of the client, and supervising nursing assistants and aides. LPN&#8217;s can also be involved in teaching and training family members in simple nursing tasks. LPN&#8217;s must go through a State-approved Nursing Program. <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><b>\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><b>Registered Nurse (RN) <\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">works to promote health, prevent illness, educate patients and families, and develop\/manage nursing care plans. RN&#8217;s are educated in the science and theory behind the care they are administering and supervising. The RN assessment involves a more holistic approach to evaluating the patient, making sure both their physical and psychology needs are being addressed.<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"> For more information log onto www.medicare.com\/hhcompare<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"CENTER\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">###<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Robert Goodman, MSW Medicare covers home health care services for someone meeting these conditions: Your doctor must decide that you need medical care at home, and make a plan for your care at home. You must need intermittent skilled nursing care, physical therapy, speech-language therapy, or to continue occupational therapy.\u00a0 The home health agency [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[115,116,141],"class_list":["post-928","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-social-services","tag-home-health","tag-home-health-care-2","tag-medicare"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/flnavigator.com\/healthfairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/928","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/flnavigator.com\/healthfairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/flnavigator.com\/healthfairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flnavigator.com\/healthfairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flnavigator.com\/healthfairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=928"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/flnavigator.com\/healthfairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/928\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1860,"href":"https:\/\/flnavigator.com\/healthfairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/928\/revisions\/1860"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/flnavigator.com\/healthfairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=928"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flnavigator.com\/healthfairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=928"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flnavigator.com\/healthfairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=928"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}