Home health is a program created and overseen by Medicare. Therefore, programs in general will look and feel very similar to be compliant with the laws that oversee how Home Health is provided. Depending on the state, agencies go through “surveys” at a regular interval (e.g., yearly, every 3 years, etc.) that review the operation, the clinical services, the documentation, the adherence to techniques, and patient satisfaction.
According to Medicare.gov, questions to ask yourself and review before selecting a home health agency include:
- Is the agency Medicare certified?
- Is the agency Medicaid certified?
- Does the agency offer the specific services I need?
- Will the agency be able to meet my special needs, like language or cultural preferences?
- Does the agency offer personal care services, such as bathing, dressing, and using the bathroom?
- Does the agency offer support services or help me arrange for additional services, such as meal delivery?
- Is the agency well-staffed to give the type and amount of care I need?
- Is the agency respected in my community, recommended by the hospital discharge planner, my doctor, or a social worker?
- Does the agency have staff available for emergencies at night or on the weekends?
- Is the agency transparent about what my insurance will cover, what must be paid out-of-pocket, and include me in discussions of resources?
- Have prior patients attested to the good care received by the agency?
Some additional questions that we have found helpful for patients and families include:
- How soon will my services start? Specifically, for each discipline?
- Some agencies will start services with one discipline, e.g., nursing, and wait a few weeks before starting the next service, e.g., physical therapy. If your goal is physical therapy, then this timeline might be a reason to consider a different agency.
- How frequent will my services for each discipline be?
- Some agencies plan for only 1 visit per week for the disciplines involved, e.g., 1 visit from the nurse, 1 visit from the physical therapist, 1 visit from the aide. If you have specific goals and needs, this cadence may not be right for you. If there is limited flexibility, this might be a reason to consider a different agency.
- Am I involved in my care plan? Does my opinion affect my services?
- Some agencies have to submit care plans for review and approval. This may or may not take into consideration your needs, health plans, and environmental circumstances. If you are not comfortable with a third-party review, this might be a reason to consider a different agency.
- How much choice do I have in selecting an agency?
- In states where patient choice is the law, you as the patient can freely choose an agency that serves your area. Your provider – doctor, nurse practitioner, physician assistant – may have a preference for whom they prefer to work with, but you ultimately have the choice of your provider for home health. In states where a certificate of need is issued, there may be a restriction on the number of providers. If you are displeased with your offerings, you can reach out to your state’s department of health for guidance on other options.
Elite Home Health & Hospice serves in both Washington and Idaho. We are the Certificate of Need holder for Asotin and Garfield counties. We also serve in Nez Perce, Latah, and Clearwater counties in Idaho where patients have choice. We are Medicare and Medicaid certified, as well as maintaining working agreements with multiple insurance companies.
We offer skilled nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, aide, and social work services through our home health program. We utilize qualified interpreters or a language service to communicate with members of the community whose primary language is different from English.
Our aides, or certified nursing assistants, are part of your rehabilitation program, and can be scheduled to support learning strategies for dressing, grooming, and bathing in coordination with our occupational therapy services.
Elite is proud to employ residents of the Lewis-Clark Valley, Moscow, and Orofino communities. We believe in hiring within the communities we serve, and we have been doing so since 1984. Our staff supports services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
If your insurance benefit does not cover services 100%, you will receive a call from our insurance team who will discuss with you the costs of your services before we send the nurse out to your home. You are a critical member of our healthcare team, and your financial health is important to us. Our customer reviews are publicly available, and we use positive and negative reviews to assess our quality of services and make changes.
Elite works with your schedule to get all of your ordered disciplines started within your first week of service. If you have a preference to delay a particular discipline, let us know, so we can accommodate that change. Our care plans are proposed and discussed with you at your evaluation session. That means, your voice helps determine how often you are seen and by whom. We do not send your care plan for review to a third-party to determine your frequency of visits from our team.
In Asotin and Garfield Counties, we are your provider. We are happy to serve and support your health goals.
In Idaho, you have a choice. We hope you will consider Elite for all of your home health and hospice needs. We are here to provide you with life-changing service.
