Guest blog by Toni Sudderth from Reliant at Home
What is Home Health?
Home health is skilled medical care brought to you wherever you consider home. That could be your home or in an independent, assisted or memory care community – we bring care to you! Our care can include any combination of the following: skilled nursing, physical/occupational and speech therapies, a home health aide and a social worker.
Home Health Nursing Details.
A home health nurse is the go between for a patient and their physician. Our goal is to keep patients out of the hospital. A home health nurse is a wealth of knowledge and can help in so many ways. Including but not limited to:
- Med management: the nurse educates and helps with the filling of med boxes while on home health services.
- Supplies: home health care provides supplies needed for patient care- such as wound care, catheters, and skin barrier creams.
- We can do IV’s, lab draws, and/or x-rays as needed.
- We work with Dispatch Health to triage in the home to prevent ER visits when possible.
- The nurse provides teaching to families and caregivers to assist in the care of their loved ones to maintain aging in place for as long as possible.
- The nurse provides teaching to patients and caregivers on how to manage disease processes/medications in their home.
When do you need Home Health?
Most people think of home health when they are in crisis. It is normally thought of while a patient is in the hospital, for post-surgery, or post a rehabilitation stay. While home health after these events is fantastic and absolutely needed, home health can also be a used for prevention of a crisis. If there is a change in medication, a new diagnosis, a decline in condition or strength/mobility, home health can be prescribed. Our skilled staff works as an extension of your physician’s office and communicates any changes, whether good or bad, directly with the primary care physician to triage and adapt care as needed. Each plan of care is specific to each individual patient and their needs.
Home Health Post Crisis
When you leave a skilled setting with 24-hour nursing care, whether that be the hospital, a skilled nursing facility or rehabilitation hospital, you should discharge with home health skilled nursing. This allows a nurse to be your lifeline at home. A nurse is available by a 24-hour lifeline to triage any issues that may arise. The nurse can also evaluate your medications and confirm with your primary care doctor that any changes made during your skilled stay were warranted and need to be continued or adjusted.
How do you get started?
If you are in a rehabilitation or hospital setting, your social worker or case manager will help get everything lined up. If they don’t mention additional help, don’t be afraid to ask them to. If you are speaking with your primary care doctor or specialist, they can write and send the prescription to an in-network agency.
Do I have to use the home health agency ordered?
No! Let me scream this one from the roof tops. YOU HAVE PATIENT CHOICE! Every provider likely has their choices for care, but you do not have to agree to who you are told. Know your options and advocate for yourself or your loved one. How do you know who your options are? Great networks like The Smart Senior Series brings these resources to you. Or ask your church group, neighbors and loved ones – they are great resources too. It is very likely someone in your circle has had experiences with home health providers. They may love the nurse or admire how hard the physical therapist pushed them during rehab. Equip yourself with the tools, so that in crisis, you have your tool belt ready.
Skilled Services in Home, Sounds too Good to be True! Who Pays for That?
Your Medicare or replacement plan!
Yes, another one I want to shout from the rooftops. Home Health care is a valuable benefit that is paid for!! Not every agency is in network with every plan of course, but there is an agency for you. Please note some plans do have a co-pay but you will be told that ahead of admission and given the opportunity to continue or to decline the services.
Why would I need a home health social worker?
Under home health, some patients can qualify for a social worker on their case. Most of the time this occurs when a patient has received a new life changing diagnosis or is progressing past the point of what the family is capable of handling alone in home. The social worker is the guru for community resources and assistance to meet individual patient needs. They are knowledgeable on local non-profit resources, partnering agencies and their offerings, as well as higher level of care options when necessary. Social workers are fantastic hand holders for families as they navigate their new normal and learn to adjust to the patients’ current needs.
Home Health vs Outpatient Therapy
What is the difference? Home Health is brought to you. With outpatient therapy, you typically travel to their rehabilitation gym. Home Health therapy is a couple days a week per discipline (physical, occupational and speech) for a short time; typically, services last for a month to 45 days. At this point, the patient should be stronger and able to tolerate more therapy, and we like to graduate to outpatient services where therapy can be more frequent and for a longer period.
Home Health vs Home Care
This is where things tend to get jumbled. Home Health is skilled and licensed care as we have discussed. Home Care, or caregiver services, is caregivers that can assist in the home with activities of daily living. Things like light housekeeping, meal preparation, transportation, medication reminders and more.
Good news: You can have BOTH! Because Home Health is paid by your insurance plan and Home Care, or caregiver services, is private pay, there is no rule on using both services. Honestly, if a family is able, we highly recommend the use of both types of care for the best outcomes.
Bad news: While insurance covers Home Health, they do not cover the costs of a caregiver company. Some policy details present as if they do but few agencies can accommodate. This leads to frustration from families as they then expect the Home Health to be able to bridge those gaps and due to Medicare guidelines, those are tasks we cannot accommodate.
About Toni Sudderth
I have worked in senior healthcare for the last 10 years. I am a Sales Director for the Fort Worth Home Health Team of Reliant at Home. I recently celebrated my 7th year anniversary with our company. I love leading my team and serving seniors in our community. One thing I love most is educating and debunking the misconceptions regarding health care and being a resource guide for families. I am an advocate for seniors in Fort Worth and serve on many local non-profit boards and committees. I’ve been invited to speak on the Smart Senior Series panel for a few years now and am excited to be more involved as a sponsor for the 2025 series.
Whether you, or your loved one, falls in the situation of crisis or preventative care, I would love to help be a resource for you on this journey. You can reach me at toni.sudderth@reliantathome.com, or learn more about our agency at www.reliantathome.com
