Home Health Care FAQs

What is home health care?

Home health care staff provides medical treatment and wellness support for an illness or injury, with the goal of helping you recover, regain your independence and become as self-sufficient as possible.

Ste. Genevieve County Memorial Hospital (SGCMH) Home Health Care offers health care services such as skilled nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy. We offer a plan of care where patients receive a comprehensive assessment and home health nurses provide a variety of health care support including:

• Post-operative evaluation

• Wound care management

• Ostomy education

• IV medication administration

• Lab work

• Education and management for diabetes and medication

On the first visit, a nurse will conduct an initial evaluation. This thorough interview and evaluation is part of our coordinated approach to managing your overall health status. Our evaluation focuses on educating you in self-care management and partners with your doctor to promote disease prevention and proactive care – which includes the family or caregivers.

Will SGCMH Home Health create a care plan just for me or my loved one?

Yes. After your doctor refers you to Ste. Genevieve Home Health Care, a clinician will come to your home to assess your needs. We will communicate with your doctor to discuss the assessment and work together to develop your personal plan of care. Ste. Genevieve Home Health Care staff will implement your physician-ordered plan of care and keep your doctor updated about your progress. If your condition or needs change, we’ll collaborate with your doctor to review your plan of care and make any adjustments deemed necessary.

How often will my home health care visits be?

The frequency of home health care visits and the services provided are based on your doctor’s orders in your personal plan of care. Your doctor may change your plan of care, increasing or decreasing the number of visits or services provided, in order to provide you with the best home health care for your needs.

My doctor is ordering home health care for me; can I request SGCMH Home Health by name?

Absolutely, and we’d be honored to care for you or your loved one. Federal law gives patients the freedom to choose their health care provider under Medicare.

What if I use an out-of-town doctor or hospital?

Any resident of Ste. Genevieve County can be served by SGCMH Home Health Care regardless of the location of your physician’s office or hospital. Our service area includes Ste. Genevieve, Bloomsdale, and St. Mary.

Do I have to be hospitalized to receive Home Health services?

A hospital stay is not required to receive home health care. If hospitalized at Ste. Genevieve County Memorial Hospital, arrangements for home health services can be made before discharge. If hospitalized outside the county, ask the hospital’s discharge planner to arrange for your home healthcare services to be delivered by Ste. Genevieve Home Health.

Who is eligible for home health care?

There are several requirements for receiving home health care:

• You must have a doctor prescribe home health care.

• You must need either skilled nursing care on an intermittent basis or therapy services (i.e., physical/occupational/speech therapy)

• You must be restricted in your ability to leave home (“homebound”), and your homebound status must be certified by a physician.
  
  This means that you require the help or supervision of another person, or you use a supportive device such as a cane or walker. You can leave the home as often as you need for medical treatment. You are allowed brief and infrequent absences from the home for some non-medical reasons, such as an occasional trip to the barber/beauty shop or a follow-up with medical appointments.

What does “homebound status” mean?

Essentially, your condition should be such that there exists a "normal inability to leave home" and doing so would require considerable and taxing effort. Generally speaking, you would be considered homebound if you have a condition due to an illness or injury that restricts your ability to leave home without the aid of an assistive device (such as crutches, canes, walkers or wheelchairs), without the assistance of another person, or if leaving the home is medically inadvisable.

You can leave the home as often as you need for medical treatment that cannot be provided in the home. Further, you are allowed brief and infrequent absences from the home for some non-medical reasons, such as an occasional trip to the barber/beauty shop, to attend church, or for unique family events (like a graduation).

Who pays for home health care services?

If you meet certain eligibility requirements, Medicare may pay for your covered home health care for as long as you’re eligible and your doctor certifies that you need it. Additionally, your state’s Medicaid program or your private insurance also may cover home health care, or some services that Medicare doesn’t cover. Generally, home health services are covered by Medicare, workers’ compensation, or private insurance like Blue Cross, HealthLink and others. Our staff can verify your insurance benefits.

What qualifies as a “home” when home health care is being considered?

A patient’s residence is wherever she makes her home. This may be her house, an apartment, a relative’s home, a home for the aged, or some other type of institution. However, a hospital, skilled nursing facility (SNF) or intermediate care facility (ICF) is not considered the patient’s home.