Frequently Asked Questions
What is home care?
Home care is a broad range of professional health care and support services provided in peoples’ homes. Treatment varies from patient to patient but usually fits into two types: skilled professional care and personal assistance services. People who are recovering from an illness or accident, disabled, chronically or terminally ill, most often use skilled professional care. As hospital stays decrease, increasing numbers of patients need highly skilled services when they return home. Typically home care is appropriate when a person can safely stay at home but still needs ongoing care that cannot easily or effectively be provided solely by family and friends. Personal assistance services is most appropriate for those who may need help with activities of daily living (ADLs) or instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs). This includes: bathing, dressing, ambulating or light housekeeping and cooking.
Who provides home care?
Home care services are usually provided by home care agencies. Agencies typically include: Medicare certified home health agencies (LifeSpan); hospices; area agencies on aging, homemaker agencies; staff and private duty nursing agencies. Other agencies may be utilized to deliver specialized services and products such as medical equipment and supplies, pharmaceuticals, and drug infusion therapy.
What services do home health care agencies provide?
LifeSpan’s services range from skilled nursing, physical, occupational and speech-language therapy, home health aide services, and medical social services to community services such as attendants.
Who can receive home health care?
People of all ages with acute and chronic health care needs can receive home health care services. Home health care is for persons who require health care from a professional or who need personal assistance in the home through attendants. The payor for these services typically determines the level of care and those who qualify. In most cases medical orders from a physician are required for home health care. It is best to call LifeSpan and ask for assistance. Our telephone number is (210) 798-6701.
When are home health care services available?
Home health care services provided by LifeSpan are available 24/7.
Will my insurance cover home health care?
If the care is medically necessary and the patient meets certain coverage requirements, Medicare, Medicaid and most private insurance plans will usually pay for home health care services. Service may vary for Medicaid depending on the county in which you reside and private insurance carriers have different policies (please refer to your Certificate of Coverage). For services that are not covered, patients may choose to pay out of their own pocket.
How do I choose the right home health care agency?
There are many important factors to consider in choosing the best agency to meet your needs. Assess what types of services you will need and find an agency that offers those services. Survey the agencies you are considering about licenses and certifications. You’ll also want to evaluate the quality of care, and the skills and training of personnel at the agencies under consideration.
Accepted Insurance
Aetna
Amerigroup
Blue Cross Blue Shield
Evercare
Gentiva/CareCentrix
Humana
Humana-Military Tricare
Medicaid
View Medicaid Mutually Exclusive Services
Medicaid Replacement Plans
Medicare
Medicare Advantage Plans
Molina
PacifiCare
Secure Horizons
Superior
United Healthcare
Definitions of Core Services Offered
Aide: Assistance with personal care needs and hygiene needs.
Occupational therapy: Provides assistance in household management skills, energy conservation, and work simplification. This therapist uses methods that attempt to improve a patients cognitive and functional ability to perform basic activities of daily living.
Physical therapy: Provides goal directed approaches to rehabilitation of a patient with decreased ambulation, gait difficulties, weakness, balance disturbances, etc.
Skilled Nursing: Evaluation and assessment is done by a nurse. Ongoing skilled needs such as wound care, medication administration, IV therapy, and disease management teaching is done.
Social work: Assesses social, emotional, financial, and personal problems related to illness and recovery. Referrals to appropriate community resources.
Speech therapy: Can provide assessment and evaluation of neurological/cognitive disorders and developmental delays which cause difficulty with communication.
Not all services available in all locations. Call Central Intake to confirm service availability.
Helpful Links
Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS)
NAHC – “NAHC is committed to representing the interests of the home care and hospice community.”
TAHC – “The purpose of the Texas Association for Home Care (TAHC) is as a non-profit association that promotes quality and economic viability of licensed providers of home and community support services in Texas. TAHC is over 500 members strong and speaks with a strong, unified voice for the interests of home care throughout the state of Texas.”
CSHCN – The Texas Department of State Health Services – Children with Special Health Care Needs (CSHCN) page offers information about the Comprehensive Care Program (CCP) and Medically Dependent Children’s Program (MDCP).
DFPS – Texas Department of Family and Protective Services site that includes links to Child Protective Services and Adult Protective Services.
NavigateLifeTexas.org – This website is especially for families and parents of children with disabilities or special health care needs and is designed to offer support, inspiration, resources, and links to services available.
Variety of Texas: Stories – We envision a world without isolation and stigma for children with special needs and their families.
Information About Specific Disorders
Apraxia – www.apraxia-kids.org
Aphasia – www.aphasia.org
Attention Deficit Disorder – www.add.org
Autism – www.autism-society.org
The Texas Council on Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorders http://www.dads.state.tx.us/autism
Cerebral Palsy – www.ucpa.org
www.cpconnection.com
Central Auditory Processing Disorders – www.kidshealth.org
Cleft Palate – www.cleftline.org
Down Syndrome – www.dsasa.org
Dyslexia – www.ldonline.org
Hearing – www.deafchildren.org
Cochlear Implants – www.kidshealth.org
Hearing Evaluation – www.kidshealth.org
Learning Disabilities – www.ncld.org
Stuttering – www.stutteringhelp.org
