Home health is a wide range of health care services that can be given in your home for an illness or injury. Home health care is usually less expensive, more convenient, and just as effective as care you get in a hospital or skilled nursing facility. The goal of home health care is to treat an illness or injury. Home health helps you get better, regain your independence, and become as self-sufficient as possible.

All people with part A and/or Part B Medicare who meet the following conditions are covered:

• You must be under the care of a doctor, and you must be getting services under a plan of care established and reviewed regularly by a doctor.
• You must need, and a doctor must certify that you need, one or more of these:
• Intermittent skilled nursing care (other than just drawing blood)
• Physical therapy, speech-language pathology, or continued occupational therapy services. These services are covered only when the services are specific, safe, and an effective treatment for your condition. The amount and frequency of the services needs to be reasonable. Services should be complex, or of the nature that only qualified therapists can do them safely and effectively. To be eligible, either: 1) your condition must be expected to improve in a reasonable and generally-predictable period of time, or 2) you need a skilled therapist to safely and effectively make a maintenance program for your condition.
• The home health agency caring for you must be Medicare certified.
• You must be homebound, and a doctor must certify that you’re homebound.
• You’re not eligible for the home health benefit if you need more than part-time or “intermittent” skilled nursing care.
• You may leave home for medical treatment or short, infrequent absences for non=medical reasons, like attending religious services. You can still get home health care if you attend adult day care.
• NOTE: Home health services may also include medical social services, part-time or intermittent home health aide services, medical supplies for use at home, durable medical equipment, or injectable osteoporosis drugs.

Medicare considers you homebound if you meet both of the following criteria:

1. You need the help of another person or medical equipment such as crutches, a walker, or a wheelchair to leave your home.

OR

Your doctor believes that your health or illness could get worse if you leave your home.

AND

1. It is difficult for you to leave your home and you typically cannot do so.

• Your doctor will decide whether you qualify as homebound when they write your plan of care for the home health benefit. Whether or not you are considered homebound depends on your doctor’s evaluation and knowledge of your condition over an extended period of time - not on a daily or weekly basis.
• Leaving home for medical treatment, religious services, or to attend a licensed or accredited adult day care center does not put your homebound status at risk. Leaving home for short periods of time or for special non-medical events, such as a family reunion, funeral, or graduation, will also not keep you from being considered homebound. Taking an occasional trip to the barber or beauty parlor is also allowed.

• Assistance in managing chronic illnesses that require medical monitoring
• Physical, occupational, and speech therapy needs
• Recovery from recent surgeries
• Children with health problems that need skilled monitoring
• IV therapy or injections
• Medication assistance
• Education on managing disease processes at home

One of our registered nurses is on call 24 hours per day, 7 days a week, to assist you and answer any questions that may arise.

Healing Hearts Home Health will help you understand the cost of each of the services before the services are performed. Detailed explanations will be provided to you and your family for all programs and assistance you may qualify for. Our professional staff will ensure you have all the information you need to make an informed decision with your home health benefits. Medicare will pay for homecare, in full, if you meet their criteria for being homebound, and have a skilled need that requires the assistance of a nurse, physical therapist, occupational therapist, or speech language pathologist.