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 your parent or loved one ages, it may become more difficult for them to perform their daily routine. If you have chosen well, you'll be comforted knowing that your home health provider can continue to provide care. You will spare your family member the stress of moving to a care facility or getting used to new care providers.

Family Home Care & Hospice (FHC) headquartered in Spokane, WA is an excellent example of the type of home health agency that can provide the breadth of services needed to accommodate the patient's increasing needs.

"We have specifically planned our service offerings so that we can continue to serve patients in their homes for as long as medically practical," explained Michael Nowling, President of FHC. "All our experience points to better outcomes for both the patient and the family if they can be effectively cared for within their own homes."

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 home health agencies have a standard schedule of services, but it is also important for you to ask about any specialized services the agency may provide. You may never need any of these more rare specialties, but in the even you do, you will have the confidence of knowing they are available through your current provider. Types of services in this category may include enteral therapy, wound care specialists or primary care medical services. Be certain to ask your home health agency if these or other specialized services are provided.

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.

"It's tough to get a job at FHC," noted Nowling, "but we're not sorry about that. In fact, that's the way it should be. We've built a great organization as a direct result of our strict qualifications and hiring protocols. We have a staff of professionals who hold themselves to the highest standards of practice and patient care and we support them in that effort. They work hard. They love their patients and it shows. They tend to stay at FHC much longer than is the average for home health agencies. This translates into better outcomes for patients and is a large part of the reason we've been so highly ranked by Medicare."

Just as important as a home health agency's ability to find and maintain a qualified staff is their commitment to keeping that staff trained and educated in the state of the art techniques and therapies. Ask about their training and continuing education programs.

"There is so much specialized and highly technical medical equipment which can now be used in a home environment," continued Nowling. "We think it's an important priority of a good home heath agency to make sure that our professional staff are always up to date with the latest advances in care."

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

Visit the Medicare website to check out and compare your selections: http://www.medicare.gov/HHCompare/home.asp

Find out the details of their employee screening and hiring practices

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.