Home Health Care Services

Home Health Care services are exactly what they sound like, but Home Health Care agencies do vary greatly when it comes the types of services they provide. And while home health care and home services do sound similar, home care is medically inclined. Let’s look at some of the medically-related tasks home health care helps with:

  • Provides or assists with patient’s personal care, including but not limited to: bathing, shampoo hair, oral hygiene, and general skin care. Helps patients with dressing or grooming. All care is consistent with a “Plan of Care.”
  • Helps patients or clients with mobility and ambulation, with consistency to Plan of Care. Such things might include transfers, assistance with walker use, etc.
  • Prepares and serves meal, as needed. May also feed and/or give fluids as directed in Plan of Care.
  • Helps patients with toileting activities, including, when appropriate: bedpan use, commode or toilet; or changing diapers. Takes and records oral, rectal and auxiliary temperatures, pulse and respiration, and/or blood pressure.
  • Turns and positions those who are bed-bound, and provides preventative skin care techniques like back rubs and other measures.
  • Performs a range of motion and other simple things as instructed by therapists or nurses.
  • Helps patients and clients in the self-administration of medicines. Aides do not administer medicine but assist patients.
  • Performs household tasks like changing sheets, washing dishes, vacuuming and dust mop floors, dusting furniture, grocery shopping, emptying trash, etc. as appropriate and outlined in Plan of Care.
  • Reports observations in a timely manner to RN Case Manager, in order to get nursing attention to patient changes or other urgent needs, as well as documentation of observation and duties.
  • Makes use of personal protective equipment when completing tasks where contact with blood or body fluids is possible. Involve patient is socialization or other types of diversionary activities to help with mod and self-esteem enhancement.

In the realm of Nursing Care, RN’s or LPNs give more advanced skilled care, like:

  • Skilled Nursing evaluations
  • Observation and assessment
  • Catheter care
  • Cardiac rehabilitation
  • Congestive Heart Failure
  • Pre & Post Heart Transplant
  • Inotropic Home IV Therapy
  • Tracheostomy Care
  • Wound care and dressings
  • Wound Vac Care
  • Injections
  • Physical Therapy
  • Intravenous Therapy
  • Tube feedings and care
  • Ostomy care and teaching
  • Diabetic care and teaching
  • Disease process education
  • Post stroke care
  • Hypertension, congestive heart failure (CHF) and Emphysema (COPD) care
  • Medication management
  • Family Counseling and Teaching

And the following specialty services may be provided, dependent on the needs of the client and the resources of the agency:

  • Medical Social Worker
  • Physical Therapy
  • Occupational Therapy
  • Speech Therapy
  • Hospice Care
  • Chaplain Services

If you or someone you love needs assistance with Elder Care law issues, call 856-281-3131. Let us help ease your stress and give you a plan.

HIPAA: What is It and Why do I Need It?

Many of us have probably heard of HIPAA at one time or another, but we may be otherwise unfamiliar with it, what it does, or why we even need it to begin with. Let’s clear up any potential confusion right now.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a federal law that authorized the creation of national standards to be put in place to protect the privacy of a patient’s health care information. The Privacy Rule—which began on April 14, 2003—controls both the use and disclosure of any “Protected Health Information.” What this refers to, in a broad sense, is simply “individually identifiable health information transmitted or maintained in any form which:

  • Is held by a covered entity or its business associate;
  • Identifies the individual or offers a reasonable basis for identification;
  • Is either created or received by a covered entity or an employer; or
  • Relates to a past, present, or future physical or mental condition, provision of health care or payment for health care.

HIPAA limits covered entities from sharing any protected health information. These entities include health care providers that conduct electronic transactions, health care clearinghouses, and health plans. It puts a limit on any health care provider or insurance company that uses computers through their normal course of business.

Those entities that violate the terms of HIPAA can face both civil fines and criminal penalties, along with possible jail time. Civil fines can range from $100 per violation up to an annual maximum of $1.5 million in the case of willful violations. Those entities that knowingly obtain or disclose any identifying information can face some criminal penalties, including fines up to $50,000 and prison time for a one-year period. Those who violate the terms with intent to sell, transfer, or use individually identifiable health information for any kind of commercial advantage, personal gain or malicious harm face fines of $250,000 and jail time of up to 10 years.

A well-made medical power of attorney should be sufficient enough legally to authorize an otherwise reluctant health care provider to share any medical information with the health care agent. If the document doesn’t explicitly authorize the transmission of health information, as required by HIPAA, the doctor may refuse to share any such information with the agent, who may need it in order to make medical decisions for you in your stead. Remember, your health care agent cannot act on your behalf until your doctor determines that you do not have the capacity to make decisions on your own, so you might want someone to be able to get access to your records prior to that time.

For example, you might want your agent to call the doctor’s office for questions regarding bills, or to discuss medical conditions you have with the doctor in case of your hospitalization. Having a HIPAA authorization can allow them to do that for you.

Because of this, a lot of law professionals often recommend their clients fill out and sign a separate document that authorizes disclosure of any protected health information. This authorization also lets you name someone to be able to have access to any of your medical information so that your doctor or insurance company has no qualms about sharing any protected medical information with them.

If you or someone you love needs assistance with Elder Care law issues, call 856-281-3131. Let us help ease your stress and give you a plan.