Disclosures:

Freedom of Choice

According to Federal law, home health care patients are free to choose which institution, agency or person will provide their home care services.

Section 1802 of the Social Security Act "seeks to ensure that free choice is guaranteed to all Medicare Patients." The law states: "Any individual entitled to insurance benefits under this title [i.e., Medicare] may obtain health services from any institution, agency, or person qualified to participate under this title if such institution, agency, or person undertakes to provide him such services." This statement gives patients freedom to choose whom they want as their provider of post-hospital services.

So if your doctor recommends home health care for you or a loved one, ask for A+ Home Health!

Selecting the right home health agency

Learning as much as you can about a home care agency is the best way to determine which agency is best for you or a loved one. Following are some questions you should ask perspective home care providers about the services they offer.

• How long has the agency and staff been serving the community?
• Is the agency certified by Medicare?
• Is the agency licensed by the state?
• Does the agency assign supervisors to oversee the quality of care patients are receiving in their homes?
• What procedures are in place to handle emergencies? Are the agency caregivers available 24 hours a day, seven days a week?

The following criteria determine if you may be eligible to receive home health care under your Medicare benefits:

• You must require intermittent skilled nursing care, physical, speech, occupational therapy or medical social services.
• You must be homebound.
• You must be currently under a physician's care. All home health services must be ordered by your physician.

 
Medicare guidelines

In order to qualify for home health services under Medicare, the patient must:

• Be eligible for Medicare benefits
• Be under the care of a physician who establishes and periodically reviews the plan of care
• Require skilled nursing on an intermittent basis or physical therapy or speech (or occupational therapy) for on-going services
• Require services reasonable and necessary for treatment of the illness or injury
• Be homebound

Definition of homebound

•  The patient's condition must be such that leaving the home requires an extremely taxing effort.
• In most instances a "homebound" patient's absence from home will occur for the purpose of receiving medical treatment.
• Absences are infrequent, are of relatively short duration and do not indicate that the patient has the capacity to obtain health care provided outside rather than inside the home.
• If patient's condition, due to an illness or injury, restricts the patient's ability to leave home except with the aid of supportive device: cane, wheelchair, walker, maximum assistance of another person.
• If patient's condition is such that leaving home is medically contradicted.
• Any absence for religious services is deemed to be an absence of infrequent or short duration, and thus does not negate homebound status.

Reimbursement for home health services is contingent upon the claimant being "confined to home." (5240.1) Failure to meet these guidelines means that the individual is unable to receive home health services under Medicare benefits.  

Nondiscrimination Policy

As a recipient of Federal financial assistance, A+ Home Health, LLC does not exclude, deny benefits to, or otherwise discriminate against any person on the grounds of race, color, or national origin, or on the basis of disability or age in admission to, participation in, or receipt of the services and benefits of any of its programs and activities or in employment therein, whether carried out by A+ Home Health, LLC directly or through a contractor or any other entity with whom A+ Home Health, LLC arranges to carry out its pro-grams and activities.  This statement is in accordance with the provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and Regulations of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued pursuant to the Acts, Title 45 Code of Federal Regulations Part 80, 84, and 91.