Home Health Care: Who Qualifies and What Services Are Provided?

Coming home from the hospital doesn’t always mean your care is finished. Sometimes you or a loved one still need skilled nursing, therapy, medical monitoring, or education while healing continues.

Home health care brings these services directly to eligible patients at home. Lane Regional Medical Center provides home health care for patients ages 18 and older who meet eligibility requirements, with home health professionals available seven days a week.

What Is Home Health Care?

Home health care provides skilled medical, nursing, and rehabilitation services in a patient’s home when medically necessary and ordered by a physician. Care is based on the patient’s condition and may support recovery, ongoing disease management, or continued treatment after hospitalization or surgery.

Home health care is different from general assistance with household tasks or daily activities. It involves skilled services provided by healthcare professionals, such as nurses and therapists, based on an established, physician-ordered care plan.

For eligible patients, receiving care at home can allow necessary treatment and monitoring to continue without a lengthy hospital stay.

Who Qualifies for Home Health Care?

Home health care may be available to patients with a medical condition requiring skilled services who have considerable difficulty leaving home. Services must be ordered by a physician and be appropriate for intermittent, or periodic, provision rather than around-the-clock care.

To qualify for Lane Home Health services, a patient must:

• Be age 18 or older
• Have a medical condition that requires skilled services
• Have those services ordered by a physician
• Need services that can be provided on an intermittent, or periodic, basis
• Be unable to leave home without considerable and taxing effort

Meeting these requirements helps determine whether home health care is an appropriate setting for the care a patient needs. If you’re not sure whether you or a family member qualifies, the Lane Home Health team can help answer questions about eligibility.

What Services Does Home Health Care Provide?

Home health care can provide skilled nursing, disease management, rehabilitation, wound care, medication education, and other medical services based on a patient’s needs. The specific services provided depend on the condition being treated and the physician’s orders.

Lane Home Health services include several areas of care:

• Skilled nursing and medical care: Nurses can help manage medications, provide IV therapy, care for catheters, manage pain, assist with feeding tubes, and draw labs.

• Chronic disease management: Home health professionals provide education and support for ongoing conditions such as heart disease, congestive heart failure, diabetes, COPD, and stroke recovery. Patients managing diabetes can also access additional diabetes management resources through Lane.

• Wound care: Patients who require skilled wound treatment may receive wound care, including wound vac care when appropriate.

• Rehabilitation: Physical, occupational, and speech therapy may be provided at home when included in a patient’s physician-ordered care plan.

• Nutrition support: When needed, patients may receive medical nutrition guidance and access additional nutrition services through Lane.

How Does Home Health Care Help After a Hospital Stay or Surgery?

Home health care can help eligible patients continue necessary treatment and recovery after leaving the hospital or undergoing surgery. Depending on the care plan, home health professionals may provide nursing care, monitor a patient’s condition, assist with prescribed therapies, or provide education about medications and disease management.

Lane Home Health also provides aftercare following orthopedic surgeries. For patients who need skilled services during recovery, receiving care at home can help bridge the transition between hospitalization and greater independence.

Before leaving the hospital, patients should understand their medications, activity restrictions, follow-up care, and other discharge instructions. Lane provides additional information about going home after a hospital stay to help patients prepare for this transition.

Can You Receive Physical Therapy Through Home Health Care?

Yes. Physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy may be provided through home health care when a patient qualifies, and the services are included in the physician-ordered care plan. Each type of therapy addresses different needs during recovery.

Physical therapy can help patients build strength and improve mobility. Occupational therapy can help patients regain skills needed for daily activities, such as dressing or cooking. Speech therapy can help with communication or swallowing difficulties.

Therapy goals depend on the individual patient’s needs and why the therapy was ordered. Lane also provides physical, occupational, and speech therapy services for patients who need rehabilitation care.

Who Provides Home Health Care Services?

Home health care is provided by qualified healthcare professionals based on the services included in a patient’s care plan. A patient may work with one type of provider or several professionals during the course of home health care.

Lane Home Health professionals include:

• Registered nurses
• Licensed practical nurses
• Physical therapists
• Occupational therapists
• Speech therapists
• Social workers
• Registered dietitians
• Home health aides

The professionals involved in a patient’s care depend on the medical condition, prescribed services, and recovery needs.

Does Insurance Cover Home Health Care?

Home health coverage depends on the patient’s insurance plan, eligibility, and the services being provided. Lane Home Health provides services for various private insurance plans, Medicare, and Medicaid, and handles billing for covered services.

Because coverage requirements can vary, patients and families should check their individual benefits when considering home health care. Lane provides additional insurance information for patients with coverage questions.

Where Can You Find Home Health Care in Zachary?

Lane Home Health provides skilled in-home care for eligible patients ages 18 and older, with home health professionals available seven days a week. Services can support patients managing a health condition, recovering from surgery or a hospital stay, or needing skilled nursing or therapy at home.

Lane Home Health proudly serves a 50-mile area around Zachary, including St. Francisville, Jackson, Clinton, Pride, Slaughter, Ethel, Zachary, Baker, Baton Rouge, Denham Springs, Walker, Watson, and Pointe Coupee.

If you or a loved one lives in the area and wants to know whether home health care may be appropriate, contact Lane Regional for more information about services and eligibility.

Written by

This blog was written by Lori Guidry, RN, Director of Nursing for Lane Home Health. Guidry brings more than 20 years of healthcare experience and 16 years of dedicated service to Lane Home Health, with experience in clinical operations, quality improvement, staff development, and interdisciplinary team leadership.