Q.
Does Medicare cover home
health services?
A. Yes, as long as the service is
prescribed by a physician and the patient qualifies under
Medicare criteria, including homebound status.
Q.
When should we consider home health
care?
A. The time to consider home health care
for you or a loved one is when help is needed with some or
all of the normal activities of daily living, -such as
hygiene, housekeeping, cooking, shopping or even walking
steadily without assistance.
Other indications maybe that more help
is needed than the family is able to offer or there is an
increase in forgetfulness that may prove dangerous because of
medications improperly taken or stove burners being left on.
Q.
Who monitors the care given?
A. Although 24/7 Home Care is staffed 24
hours a day by a Registered Nurse (RN) who is specially
trained to identify potential hazards and dangers specific to
your loved one's health care situation, our assurance of
quality care really begins much earlier.
By using skilled professionals in the
assessment stage of getting you started, 24/7 Home Care can
effectively plan a health care approach which is completely
tailored to your needs. That, coupled with our thorough
pre-employment screenings and discriminating hiring practices
assures you your loved one only the best care. Just as we
monitor the care our staff provides, we in turn are monitored
by CHAPS and DADS and are fully accredited.
Q. How do I arrange for service?
A. With a simple phone call to our
24-hour customer service number. Anyone of our friendly staff
can handle your request and make suggestions if needed.
Q.
Is there someone available to
assist me 24 hours a day, 7 days a week?
A. Yes, our office number is a
24hour number. If you call after hours or on weekends, you
will be connected to the nurse-on-call by pressing "0" (zero)
at the prompt. |
 |
Q.
How long
will it take someone to return my call after business hours?
A. If you do not reach our manager
on-call directly via cell phone by pressing "0", a message
left on the cell phone will generally be answered within the
hour.
Q.
Who qualifies for home health services?
A. Be eligible for Medicare benefits
| • |
Be under the care of a physician
who establishes and periodically reviews the plan of
care |
| • |
Require skilled nursing on an
intermittent basis or physical therapy or speech (or
occupational therapy) for on-going services |
| • |
Require services reasonable and
necessary for treatment of the illness or injury |
| • |
Be homebound |
Q.
What is the definition of
homebound?
| A. |
• |
The patient's condition must be
such that leaving the home requires an extremely
taxing effort. |
| |
• |
In most instances a "homebound"
patient's absence from home will occur for the
purpose of receiving medical treatment. |
| |
• |
Absences are infrequent, are of
relatively short duration and do not indicate that
the patient has the capacity to obtain health care
provided outside rather than inside the home. |
| |
• |
If patient's condition, due to an
illness or injury, restricts the patient's ability to
leave home except with the aid of supportive device:
cane, wheelchair, walker, maximum assistance of
another person. |
| |
• |
If patient's condition is such
that leaving home is medically contradicted. |
| |
• |
Any absence for religious services
is deemed to be an absence of infrequent or short
duration, and thus does not negate homebound status. |
Q.
How is 24/7 Home Care evaluated?
A. At the time of discharge the patient is given a
pre-paid Patient Perception survey card addressed to
the patient’s primary care physician. The patient is
encouraged to evaluate and report our services to his
or her primary care physician. |
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