As their loved ones grow older, more and more concerned family members are faced with making tough choices on their behalf. Specifically, they will often need to obtain in-home health care on behalf of their elderly relative.

How To Find & Hire A Home Health Care Aide or Visiting Nurse In Woodbury, Connecticut

At the onset of selecting an in-home healthcare agency, there are steps that you will need to follow to ensure that the screening process is successful. Start by screening multiple agencies at the same time.
This is referenced above but bears repeating: be patient. Don’t just settle for the first agency you interview, or seem to like. You want to find the agency that meets the needs of your family and the patient. The right agency should mesh well on all levels.

Depending on the duration of your family’s need, the relationship you establish with the agency of your choosing could last for a very long time. That’s why it is so important to be thorough in your screening process. This is the best time to weed out incompatible companies and make sure you’re receiving the type of service you want.

Specific Health Care Questions

The following are the type of questions that in-home health care screeners should ask about specific care, and in-home health care provider protocol:

• What specific skills does the agency’s home health providers have to offer?
• Do the caregivers participate in continuing education courses?
• If the patient isn’t happy with their assigned provider, can they ask for a replacement provider?
• What metrics are used to monitor the patient’s care and medical progress?
• Are the patient’s medications reviewed during the course of treatment?
• How often are treatment plans reassessed?
• Are the health care wishes of the patient included and respected?
• What specific services are provided beyond in-home treatment?

Connecticut Insurance And Billing Questions

Medicare pays for in-home health care for a short period of time. Typically, private insurance fills in any gaps that Medicare won’t cover. Also, private insurance can pay for care that goes past the period of time that Medicare covers.

With this said, it’s important to ensure that one’s insurance plan is accepted. If the provider bills the insurance company directly, this should be noted as well.