How to Select a Home Health Agency
As the population of the nation ages, more people are finding themselves in what has been called the "sandwich generation". They are simultaneously responsible for caring for their aging parents as well as their own children. They are "sandwiched" in between these two responsibilities. Chances are a significant number will be making some major health care decisions on behalf of parents-sometimes with their input and sometimes without, as necessity dictates.
This can be an uncomfortable and sometimes tense situation. One thing you'll want to be certain you consider is a qualified home heath agency rather than a nursing home or care center. Almost without exception, patients will do better when treated at home than in any other environment.
Qualified home health agencies will typically offer a wide variety of care services, from simple daily assistance with tasks such as bathing, fixing meals and light housework, to full-time skilled nursing and even hospice care. Other home health agencies are quite limited in their services. It's a good idea to select a home health agency that can provide the additional services your loved one may need in the future.
As time passes, your family member may become more incapacitated and require additional services. It is essential to select an agency which has the capability to continue to provide services so your family member won't have the additional stress of transferring to a care center or learning to accept new care providers.
Home health agencies such as Family Home Care & Hospice (FHC), based in Spokane, Washington, serve as a prime example of an organization with the resources to "grow" with the patient.
"We have structured our services to be able to offer patients continuing care in their homes as long as medically possible," explained FHC President, Michael Nowling. "All signs point to outcomes which are better for the patient and for the family if medical care can be effectively delivered in the home as long as is medically practical."
Nowling and the FHC staff must know a little bit about these things. They have been recognized by Medicare as among the best 1 percent of home health agencies in the state of Washington. The same Medicare analysis put them in the top 3 percent of home health agencies in the country. Since the recognition is based largely on patient outcomes, the stated goal of keeping patients in their homes as long as possible seems to indeed create the conditions for better patient response. Medicare's database of information on home health agencies and their reported patient outcomes can be accessed at http://www.medicare.gov/HHCompare/home.asp. It would be advisable to log on and look at the corresponding data for any home health agency you may be considering.
Most patients will do very nicely utilizing the standard list of services offered by a qualified home health agency, but sometimes specialized services may be required. It is a good idea when evaluating your home health agency selection, to ask what specialized services are available. The chances of your loved one needing these services may be small, but if such a need ever arises you'll find comfort in knowing that your chosen agency can deliver those services. Specialized treatments or services may include primary care medical services, enteral therapy or wound care specialists.
A constant battle in any home health agency is recruiting and maintaining qualified personnel. It is critical for you to explore the home health agency's policies for background checks and on-going employee education and training.
"We've often heard that it is tough to land a job at FHC," Nowing noted, "but we believe it should be. FHC has grown to become the organization it is primarily as a result of how picky we are in our hiring practices. Because we're so selective we have a unique group of employees who are interested in maintaining the highest standards of professionalism. They are dedicated to their patients and they work hard. They tend to stay at FHC for a long time. This makes a big difference to our patients and their families especially as it relates to positive outcomes. This is how we are able to be ranked so highly by Medicare."
With regard to the skill levels and training of home health staff, it is a good idea to find a home health agency that places an emphasis on keeping their people trained in the latest therapies and techniques.
"Much of the highly technical medical devices can now be used in a home setting," continued Nowling. "It's part of our mission to keep our staff in touch with all the most recent improvements in health care delivery."
No home health decision process would be complete without considering insurance coverage. Medicaid and Medicare are accepted by most home health agencies as is private insurance including long term care. This is a high priority question and should be addressed early on in your search. Insurance coverages will vary not only with home health agencies but with insurance companies. Trying to interpret the legal documents associated with your policy may not be as fruitful for you as a simple call to a customer service representative at your insurance company.
If you haven't been taking notes as you read, here is a handy checklist:
Find a qualified home health agency or two for your list
Determine what their standard services will be
Ask what specialized services are available
Evaluate your selections by visiting: http://www.medicare.gov/HHCompare/home.asp
Evaluate their screening and hiring of new employees
Ask what kind of staff training and education programs they have
Find out what insurance coverages are applicable
Whether your part of the "sandwich generation" or not, considering home health as part of your health care choice is just good judgment. Be certain that home health agencies are represented in your evaluation process. Your parent or family member will thank you.
Serving the Inland Northwest for more than 4 decades, Family Home Care & Hospice is synonymous with Spokane home care. FHC's history of patient outcomes gained recognition by Medicare as being among the top one percent of agencies in Washington.