Home Health Care is a range of health care services provided in the home to treat an illness or injury. Home health care is usually less expensive and more convenient than traditional hospital care and provides many of the same nursing services. The ultimate goal of home health care is to help you get better, maintain your independence and remain as self-sufficient as possible.

In order to qualify for home health care, a number of criteria must be met: 1. You must be considered homebound. Medicare considers a patient to be homebound if you need the help of another person or piece of equipment (walker, wheelchair, crutches, etc.) to leave the home, or if your doctor believes leaving your home could be dangerous. 2. You need skilled care. Most often, this refers to skilled nursing care on a regular basis for a specified period of time. This may also mean you need skilled therapy care (including physical, occupation, speech or social work). 3. Your doctor signs a home health certification stating you are homebound and need skilled nursing care. This certification must outline a plan of care and be regularly reviewed by your doctor. The plan of care and doctor reviews will be managed by the home health care agency - this is not the patient's responsibility.

Home Care might be right for you if you have experienced the following: - Have trouble living independently at home due to medical reasons - Have been recently hospitalized - Have had a recent hip or knee surgery and have problems with mobility - Have fallen at home recently and have problems with mobility - Have trouble managing your medications or receive IV medications that must be administered by a medical professional

Home Care TLC accepts multiple forms of insurance inclulding Medicare and Vantage HMO and private, Veterans Affairs insurance and various Blue Cross Blue Shield plans (dependent on insurance provider). Home Care TLC also accepts some private pay patients on a case by case basis. We cannot accect Medicaid at this time. If you have additional questions about insurance coverage, call us at 318.435.4180.

If you qualify for Medicare and meet the home health care requirements outlined above in question 3 ("How do I qualify?"), Medicare will cover the cost of intermittent skilled nursing care, a specified number of home health aide visits and various therapy services. Medicare does not cover: - 24-hour-a-day care at home - Meal delivery - Homemaker services - Personal care If you have additional questions regarding how Medicare can pay for your home health care, contact us at 318.435.4180. You can also visit the Medicare website onlinehttps://www.medicare.gov/coverage/home-health-services.html