Medical home health care is a type of health care service provided in a patient’s home to treat an illness or injury. It is often less expensive, more convenient, and just as effective as care you get in a hospital or skilled nursing facility. Here are the key components of medical home health care:
Skilled Nursing Care: This includes a wide range of care or treatment that can only be done by licensed nurses. This might involve medication administration, wound care for surgical sites or pressure sores, intravenous or nutrition therapy, injections, and monitoring serious illness and unstable health status.
Therapies: Many home health care services include physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language therapy. Therapists come to the home to help patients recover from illness, injury, or surgery, and regain their mobility and speech, or adapt to a disability.
Medical Social Services: Medical social workers provide various services to the patient, including counseling, locating community resources, and helping the patient and their family adjust to their illness or recovery.
Medical Equipment and Supplies: The provision of medical equipment (like wheelchairs or walkers), medical supplies (like bandages or catheters), and medications related to the patient’s care.
Home Health Aide Services: While this may cross over with non-medical home care, in the context of medical home health care, home health aides may provide personal care under the supervision of a nurse, such as helping with bathing and dressing, but only as part of the medically prescribed home care plan.
Patient Education: Educating patients and their families on the patient’s condition, self-care at home, and the medication regimen, ensuring that they are equipped to maintain or improve their health status.
Nutritional Support: Dietitians may visit a patient at home to provide dietary assessments and guidance to support the treatment plan.
Laboratory and Imaging Services: Some home health agencies can provide laboratory services like blood tests and imaging services at home.
Medical home health care is typically prescribed by a doctor as part of a care plan after hospitalization or a significant health event, and it is meant to be short-term, transitioning the patient towards independence, or managing a chronic condition at home. It is often covered by health insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid when it is ordered by a doctor and the patient meets certain conditions.