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Home Health Care FAQs

What is Home Health Care?

Home health care is a package of skilled services offered at home to recover and/or manage an illness or injury. It is aimed at providing the highest quality of care to live the most independent life at home. Trusted services from Crystal deliver a wide spectrum of medical services ranging from skilled nursing, home health aides, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, medication administration, and nutrition services.

Our services follow a plan of care directed by your physician and coordinated by our licensed and qualified staff. It is geared to accelerate recovery and improve self-sufficiency. We provide our clients with the tools and resources to live life to the fullest.

How is Home Health Care different from Home Care?

Home care and home healthcare are distinct, and it is essential to distinguish between them to find the best-fit caregiver and determine the optimal way to pay for services.

Simply put, Home Health Care provides clinical services, whereas Home Care offers strictly non-clinical help with daily living. For instance, Home Health Care services are administered at home by a health care professional, like a Registered Nurse or a Therapist and is often prescribed as part of a care plan. It includes medical testing, medication administration and different types of therapy, including physical, occupational and speech-language.

Home Care, on the other hand, focuses on providing the elderly with assistance in their daily activities. It involves strictly non-medical personal care such as bathing, dressing, meal prep, medication reminders and assistance with transportation and mobility. Home care aides are trained to provide companionship and help the elderly with light housework.
Home Health Care is also different from Hospice care which offers assistance to individuals to achieve the best quality of life during a terminal illness.

Who needs Home Health Care?

Home health care requires a written physician’s order. To quality for Home Health services, the individual must require periodic medical treatments but is experiencing difficulty leaving home to access treatment and/ or need to rely on another person or assistance device.

In other words, the individual must be certified as homebound by a physician who manages and authorizes home health care services. The prescribed home health care service must be appropriate and necessary for the continued treatment and management of the patient’s medical condition. Individuals in need of skilled nursing service or therapy (physical, occupational and/or speech) are also eligible for home healthcare.

What does ‘Homebound Status’ mean?

To be “homebound” generally implies it takes a taxing toll on the individual’s health to leave home in the current condition to seek intermittent medical access. To be certified homebound, a physician needs to medically determine that the individual’s condition is restrictive such that he/she is unable to safely leave home without the assistance of others and/or the aid of assistive devices, such as crutches, canes, walkers or wheelchairs.

While the “Homebound status” indicates that it is challenging for the individual to leave home, it does not prevent the person from leaving home for medical treatments that cannot be provided at home. A “homebound person” is also allowed brief and infrequent absences from the home for non-medical reasons, such as to attend church or family events.

Under Medicare, patients who are home-bound are eligible for Homecare to help manage a change of condition or acute situation such as new diagnosis, administration of new medication or manage an exacerbation of the illness, accidental falls, sudden infections and changes in cognition and function.

What services does Home Health Care include?

Home Healthcare is an umbrella term for a multitude of skilled professionals services. Our healthcare services range from skilled nursing care and home health aide to physical, occupational and speech therapies.

At Crystal Home health care, we specialize in developing care coordination plans with managed care organizations to provide wound care, cardiac recovery, pain and disease management. Our skilled staff is trained to provide patient education to promote self-management and rehabilitation services.

How long are Home Health Care services available to you?

The length of the service period is initially calculated based on the patient’s diagnosis and needs as directed in the physician’s plan of care. Some patients are prescribed several weeks of care while others may remain on service for several months. Usually, home health care services are continued until individual goals outlined in the plan of care are met.

How often will my Home Health Care visits be?

The frequency of home health care visits is determined based on the relevant doctor’s recommendations in the individualized plan of care. The number of visits can be increased or decreased to meet the goals outlined in the care plan.

Who pays for Home Health Care?

Today Medicare, Medicare Advantage plans, MMAI and most private insurances cover the cost of home health services.

Home healthcare services such as nursing care, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology services are covered under these insurances for as long as the individual is eligible and certified as “homebound”. Some states have additional programs that may cover home health care services not provided by Medicare.

Private Insurances and manage care plans may charge a deductible or co-pay for home care services. Occasionally, it may be necessary for patients to pay-out-of-pocket to their home healthcare provider.

Who do we employee?

At Crystal Home Healthcare, we are staffed to provide a comprehensive package of medical services. Our team includes registered nurses, physical therapists & assistants, certified occupational therapists & assistants, speech/language pathologists, case managers, respiratory therapists, and social workers.

Our employees are highly trained to provide quality care and uphold our organizational values. They are proficient in communication, critical thinking, time management, and technical skills. All employees are hired after mandatory criminal background check and are both insured and bonded.

How to enroll at Crystal Home Health Care?

We are a dynamic community of healthcare providers dedicated to creating a collaborative environment for our teams, families, and physicians to work together to provide quality care.

To enroll today, please call us at 847-257-7620 during business hours to reach one of our trained professionals who will be happy to talk to you through a complete overview of the enrollment process.

Our services can be available immediately once we receive your referral for service. Moreover, our trained team will work along with the patient’s physician during the course of care to develop a plan of care and assign staff to assist with care and medical administrations. We are also happy to work with insurance companies to determine coverage and co-pays.