FAQs

You may choose to use any agency you wish at any time and receive services from a different agency. You must tell both agencies you choose that you are changing home health agencies and proper documentation must be filed through Medicare.

Everyone has a choice. You have every right to select the agency you prefer to work with to provide your Home Healthcare needs. You may rely on the suggestion of your physician, friends, or social worker however we believe that in addition to a trusted referral, you should also look at the following that differentiates us and sets us apart:

• Long-established local community provider for over 20 years
• High CMS Compare quality scores in all local markets
• 24/7 on call staff with a live response or call back within 20 minutes
• Personalized Plan of Care (POC) developed with LifeCare Home Health protocols in conjunction with a nurse’s assessment and your physician’s orders.

Medicare will pay for home healthcare services for as long as you are eligible, and your doctor says you need these services. However, skilled nursing care and home health aide services are paid for only on a part-time or “intermittent” basis. We tell people that your home healthcare is “goal driven” and “physician approved”. As long as your doctor says you have a skilled need, then Medicare will provide you with home health services, for as long as you need them.

If you are billing through Medicare, and any item or service you need to receive isn’t covered by Medicare, the agency is required to inform the patient before the start of services both verbally and in writing.

If you are a Private Pay or Self-Pay Patient, a contract with the hourly rate and all the terms and conditions will be worked out in advance of the start of care.

LifeCare Home Health Family of Companies accepts reimbursement from Medicare, Medicare Advantage, contracted Commercial Insurance Payors, Long-Term Care, Workers Compensation, Veterans Benefit Programs, Self-Funded Employers, and Insurers along with Private Pay/Self-Pay. As you call to make a referral, our intake department will explore with you the best way to obtain reimbursement for services. The process is simple. You can contact us at 1. 888.686.6564 or call your local branch office. Our intake specialists will discuss the various payment options that you can utilize.  If you qualify for Medicare Certified Home Healthcare Services, they will advise you of the criteria for the home health benefit, whether or not you need a referral from your physician and the services that you will receive based upon the Payor. Once it is determined which Payor or if you will be paying us Privately, our team of intake experts will help with all the paperwork and scheduling a meeting for a team member to develop a personalized Plan of Care.

• Skilled Nursing Care
  • LifeCare Home Health Family nurses are licensed and insured in their state of practice. All our nurses undergo extensive ongoing specialty training designed to address home health care experiences, disease states and concerns.
  • Our LifeCare Home Health Family nurses will initially come out to perform an assessment upon receipt of doctors’ orders. We will work with you, your caregivers and your doctors to develop a Plan of Care (POC) designed to meet your needs and schedule. This plan will include the right combination of services to address your condition. Being a LifeCare patient means that you’ll have access to live on-call support when you need it, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
  • The goal of home health care is to maximize your physical, cognitive and behavioral well-being so you can live independently at home, in your community or place of residence. Your nurse case manager coordinates, oversees and manages your care plan and all caregivers involved in your care to ensure your care needs are met:
  • LifeCare Home Health Family skilled nurses will:
    • Develop and manage your Plan of Care (POC) on an ongoing basis. The POC includes coordination of all disciplines involved in your care whether it be PT, OT, ST, Nursing, Aides, companion care or medication management. The Nurse will review your medical care needs in person and via chart review on an ongoing basis and evaluate and adjust for your needs
    • Keep your family, caregivers and doctor informed about your condition via notes regarding and change in condition, clinical or medical updates, and medication changes
    • Make sure the client and family understand all medications and take them appropriately
    • Teach patients best practices in disease management for their specific disease
    • Help acquire and utilize necessary medical equipment
  • Skilled Therapies
    • Our highly trained physical therapists, occupational therapists and speech-language pathologists combine the latest medical knowledge and most up to date technologies with best-practice techniques and hands-on care to make sure you receive the exact treatment you need. Your therapist will work with you to develop goals for your recovery and will work with your doctor and your LifeCare Home Health Family nurse to create a plan of care that helps you develop the skills and confidence you need to gain independence.
    • Physical Therapy
      • Our LifeCare Home Health Family of physical therapists will work with you as you recover from surgery, injury and hospitalization so that you can become self-sufficient and return to everyday life. Your physical therapist will:
      • Assess your home for safety
      • Determine whether you can benefit from a cane or walker, sit-stand, crutches or Hoyer lift and ensure safe and effective use of all medical equipment
      • Efficient & appropriate use of muscles – suggest ways you can conserve energy and limit strain on joints and muscles
      • Transfer safely – ensure you can get in and out of bed or chair safely
      • Evaluation of Gait – Instruct you in proper use of your gait to navigate stairs, curbs and walking
      • Create exercise programs for strengthening, improving balance and coordination for increased activity aligned with ADL’s
      • Screen for fall risks
      • Educate caregivers on exercises and activities that the client can perform at home with verbal guidance to strengthen results

• Occupational Therapy
  • Occupational therapy can help you regain the ability to perform everyday activities, such as eating, dressing, bathing, writing or enjoying a favorite hobby. Occupational therapy is beneficial after a physical injury or stroke or for people with brain cancer, neurological conditions, diabetes, arthritis or other serious long-term illnesses. LifeCare occupational therapists visit you at your home or place of residence to help you to:
  • Adapt your day-to-day routine to meet your abilities after injury or stroke
  • Improve fine motor, visual, cognitive and perceptual skills so that buttoning a shirt, putting on shoes, cutting food, brushing teeth or writing your name becomes easier.
  • Learn how to use specially designed equipment or come up with strategies that will help you complete basic tasks safely
  • Recover more quickly through exercise, wheelchair seating and positioning programs and modifications to your home
• Speech Therapy
  • If you or your family member have suffered a stroke, brain injury or an illness that affects the muscles that control swallowing, your doctor may prescribe speech therapy. Speech therapy, also called speech-language pathology, can benefit patients of all ages. It can be beneficial to those with Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, ALS, Alzheimer’s disease, head or brain injury, head and neck cancer, stroke and serious long-term illness. Your LifeCare Home Health Speech Language Pathologist can help you to:
  • Regain and adapt to day-to-day activities
  • Strengthen the muscles of your mouth, neck, and face to avoid problems like choking or coughing and to produce clearer speech
  • Design and teach personalized swallowing programs
  • Instruct you on voice retraining
  • Find other ways to communicate after a stroke, including gestures and facial expressions
  • Use strategies to reduce frustration when communicating is difficult or problematic
  • Understand and process what people say to you
  • Read, write, perform calculations and remember things
• Home Health Aides
  • LifeCare Home Health Family of Companies provides Home Health Aides to individuals in need of companionship and support with activities of daily living (ADL’s). Our dedicated caregivers are trained in providing support for all activities associated with Activities of Daily Living (ADL’s and IADL’s). Each caregiver is highly trained, screened and licensed by their home state that they provide Home Health Aide Services within.
  • ADL’s/Personal Care Services
    • Our caregivers provide assistance with the 6 primary ADL’s. The six ADLs are generally recognized as:
    • Walking, or otherwise getting around the home or outside. The technical term for this is “ambulating.”
    • Feeding, as in being able to get food from a plate into one’s mouth.
    • Dressing and grooming, as in selecting clothes, putting them on, and adequately managing one’s personal appearance
    • Toileting, which means getting to and from the toilet, using it appropriately, and cleaning oneself
    • Bathing, which means washing one’s face and body in the bath or shower
    • Transferring, which means being able to move from one body position to another. This includes being able to move from a bed to a chair, or into a wheelchair. This can also include the ability to stand up from a bed or chair in order to grasp a walker or other assistive device.

Home Healthcare provides individuals with Nursing support, various, Therapies such as Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapy, Home Health Aides to deliver Personal Care Services and Social Workers for individuals in need of care in their home or place of residence. Typically, a Nurse will open the case and work with your physician to create a Plan of Care (POC) based upon the referral and your needs. Nurses usually make one to two visits per week initially to open the case and then to work with the patient based upon their specific nursing needs and teach the patient and family caregiver care protocols that will be needed to be successful. Therapy visits are typically two to three times per week and the length of services depends upon the progress of the patient. Home Health Aides usually come one to three times per week and can provide assistance with Activities of Daily Living (ADL) that are related to the diagnosis. Social Workers can help by assessing the patients’ needs from the community.