With 40 years of home care experience, Interim understands how important it is for people to stay in their homes. But sometimes, the challenges of everyday living get beyond even the most independent-minded people.
Interim HealthCare provides both professional nursing and therapy services as well as non-medical supportive services that help people remain independent and in control.
It starts with a careful review of the situation and continues with an individualized plan of service. This plan includes options that make it easy to match the right services to the right needs and meet daily challenges - big and small.
Our caregivers are carefully screened, bonded, and insured. They meet our high standard of quality, because we know how important it is to you and your family. And, since they are Interim employees, there is no worry about taxes, Social Security or supervision. We help make independent living at home a possibility for you or the people you care about.
Interim HealthCare employs over 75,000 home health workers each year including RNs, LPNs, therapists, home health aides and more, caring for approximately 50,000 patients on any given day. With our innovative programs, skilled professionals, trained therapists and caring aides, Interim HealthCare cares for individuals in the comfort of their own home and provides payors and physicians the cost effectiveness and positive outcomes of home care. Physicians, health care facilities and payors depend on our proven clinical pathways and national policies and procedures to provide consistent care they can trust.
Showing posts with label Nursing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nursing. Show all posts
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Friday, November 6, 2009
Who Pays for Home Care?
Here is a look at some typical payors and what they usually cover for home care services.
Medicare Not all home care agencies are approved by Medicare to provide services to Medicare beneficiaries. A home care agency who is approved by Medicare is called certified. A certified agency has met strict federal requirements for patient care and management and therefore can provide home health services that are paid for by Medicare or Medicaid. These agencies typically focus on medical-related care such as nursing, therapies, and home health aides, but can also provide a range of supportive services. Most commercial health insurers require that services they cover be provided by Certified agencies.
The federal Medicare program provides comparative data on their website as to how certified home health agencies compare in providing care for some of their patients. Quality information that can be used to help you compare home health agencies can be found on Medicare's website www.medicare.gov
If you are a Medicare beneficiary and meet certain criteria, Medicare will cover:
• Skilled nursing care on a part-time or intermittent basis. Skilled nursing care includes services and care that can only be performed safely and correctly by a licensed nurse (either a registered nurse or a licensed practical nurse).
• Home health aide services on a part-time or intermittent basis. A home health aide does not have a nursing license. The aide provides services that support any services that the nurse provides. These services include help with personal care such as bathing, using the toilet, or dressing. These types of services do not need the skills of a licensed nurse. Medicare does not cover home health aide services unless you are also getting skilled care such as nursing care or other therapy. The home health aide services must be part of the home care for your illness or injury.
• Physical therapy, speech-language pathology services, and occupational therapy:
• Physical therapy, which includes exercise to regain movement and strength to a body area, and training on how to use special equipment or do daily activities, like how to get in and out of a wheelchair or bathtub.
• Speech-language pathology services, which includes exercise to regain and strengthen speech and swallowing skills.
• Occupational therapy, which helps you become able to do usual daily activities by yourself. You might learn new ways to eat, put on clothes, comb your hair, and new ways to do other usual daily activities.
• Medical social services to help you with social and emotional concerns related to your illness. This might include counseling or help in finding resources in your community.
• Certain medical supplies, like wound dressings, that are ordered as part of your care.
The criteria you must meet to be eligible for Medicare’s home health benefit have been defined by Medicare:
Physician involvement - Your doctor must decide that you need medical care at home, and make a plan for your care at home.
Patient is homebound - You must be homebound, or normally unable to leave home unassisted. To be homebound means that leaving home takes considerable and taxing effort. A person may leave home for medical treatment or short, infrequent absences for non-medical reasons, such as a trip to the barber or to attend religious service. A need for adult day care doesn’t keep you from getting home health care.
Patient requires skilled care or SN,PT,ST (or OT with another skill) - You must need at least one of the following: intermittent skilled nursing care, or physical therapy, or speech-language therapy, or occupational therapy.
The services are part-time/ intermittent - Eligibility is also based on the amount of services you need. Medicare covers your home health services for as long as you are eligible and your doctor says you need these services. However, the skilled nursing care and home health aide services are only covered on a part-time or “intermittent” basis. This means there are limits on the number of hours per day and days per week that you can get skilled nursing or home health aide services.
Therapy services don’t have to be part-time or intermittent.
Medicare doesn’t pay for
• 24-hour-a-day care at home;
• meals delivered to your home;
• homemaker services like shopping, cleaning, and laundry
• personal care given by home health aides like bathing, dressing, and using the bathroom when this is the only care you need.
Although Medicare doesn’t cover prescription drugs as part of home health care, a recent law added new prescription drug benefits to the Medicare program as a whole.
Medicare HMO
Medicare Advantage is the name for the Medicare Managed Care Plan or HMO. Your Medicare HMO plan is required by Medicare to provide the same home care benefits as the regular Medicare plan.
If you belong to a Medicare Advantage Plan, you may only be able to choose a home health agency that works with the health care plan. Call your plan if you have questions about the plan’s home health care rules, coverage, appeal rights, and your costs. If you get services from a home care agency that doesn’t work with your Medicare Advantage Plan, neither the plan nor Medicare will pay the bill.
Medicaid
Most states provide state-funded supportive services to elders and disabled individuals who meet income and functional eligibility guidelines. These non-medical supportive services are designed to enable frail elders to remain in their homes.
Most states also provide for state-funded nursing or physical therapy services at home for those individuals who qualify.
Insurance
Medicare is not the only payor who pays for home care. Commercial health insurance policies typically cover some home care services for when a person is recovering from surgery or illness. However, benefits for long-term services vary from plan to plan. Commercial insurers generally pay for medical care in the home with a cost-sharing provision. Cost sharing varies with individual policies. You should contact your health insurer for more information.
As the public's need and preference for home care has grown, private long-term care insurance policies have expanded their coverage for in-home care. Home care benefits vary greatly among plans but most plans today cover home care.
Other payors
There are other sources of payment for home care services. These can include Workers Compensation, the Veterans Administration, the Military Health Program, the Older Americans Act and more. Many home care providers have foundations that will pay for home care for low-income families.
Private Pay
If an individual does not qualify for home care benefits through insurance or Medicare or Medicaid, that individual may want to consider arranging payment privately with the agency.
Medicare Not all home care agencies are approved by Medicare to provide services to Medicare beneficiaries. A home care agency who is approved by Medicare is called certified. A certified agency has met strict federal requirements for patient care and management and therefore can provide home health services that are paid for by Medicare or Medicaid. These agencies typically focus on medical-related care such as nursing, therapies, and home health aides, but can also provide a range of supportive services. Most commercial health insurers require that services they cover be provided by Certified agencies.
The federal Medicare program provides comparative data on their website as to how certified home health agencies compare in providing care for some of their patients. Quality information that can be used to help you compare home health agencies can be found on Medicare's website www.medicare.gov
If you are a Medicare beneficiary and meet certain criteria, Medicare will cover:
• Skilled nursing care on a part-time or intermittent basis. Skilled nursing care includes services and care that can only be performed safely and correctly by a licensed nurse (either a registered nurse or a licensed practical nurse).
• Home health aide services on a part-time or intermittent basis. A home health aide does not have a nursing license. The aide provides services that support any services that the nurse provides. These services include help with personal care such as bathing, using the toilet, or dressing. These types of services do not need the skills of a licensed nurse. Medicare does not cover home health aide services unless you are also getting skilled care such as nursing care or other therapy. The home health aide services must be part of the home care for your illness or injury.
• Physical therapy, speech-language pathology services, and occupational therapy:
• Physical therapy, which includes exercise to regain movement and strength to a body area, and training on how to use special equipment or do daily activities, like how to get in and out of a wheelchair or bathtub.
• Speech-language pathology services, which includes exercise to regain and strengthen speech and swallowing skills.
• Occupational therapy, which helps you become able to do usual daily activities by yourself. You might learn new ways to eat, put on clothes, comb your hair, and new ways to do other usual daily activities.
• Medical social services to help you with social and emotional concerns related to your illness. This might include counseling or help in finding resources in your community.
• Certain medical supplies, like wound dressings, that are ordered as part of your care.
The criteria you must meet to be eligible for Medicare’s home health benefit have been defined by Medicare:
Physician involvement - Your doctor must decide that you need medical care at home, and make a plan for your care at home.
Patient is homebound - You must be homebound, or normally unable to leave home unassisted. To be homebound means that leaving home takes considerable and taxing effort. A person may leave home for medical treatment or short, infrequent absences for non-medical reasons, such as a trip to the barber or to attend religious service. A need for adult day care doesn’t keep you from getting home health care.
Patient requires skilled care or SN,PT,ST (or OT with another skill) - You must need at least one of the following: intermittent skilled nursing care, or physical therapy, or speech-language therapy, or occupational therapy.
The services are part-time/ intermittent - Eligibility is also based on the amount of services you need. Medicare covers your home health services for as long as you are eligible and your doctor says you need these services. However, the skilled nursing care and home health aide services are only covered on a part-time or “intermittent” basis. This means there are limits on the number of hours per day and days per week that you can get skilled nursing or home health aide services.
Therapy services don’t have to be part-time or intermittent.
Medicare doesn’t pay for
• 24-hour-a-day care at home;
• meals delivered to your home;
• homemaker services like shopping, cleaning, and laundry
• personal care given by home health aides like bathing, dressing, and using the bathroom when this is the only care you need.
Although Medicare doesn’t cover prescription drugs as part of home health care, a recent law added new prescription drug benefits to the Medicare program as a whole.
Medicare HMO
Medicare Advantage is the name for the Medicare Managed Care Plan or HMO. Your Medicare HMO plan is required by Medicare to provide the same home care benefits as the regular Medicare plan.
If you belong to a Medicare Advantage Plan, you may only be able to choose a home health agency that works with the health care plan. Call your plan if you have questions about the plan’s home health care rules, coverage, appeal rights, and your costs. If you get services from a home care agency that doesn’t work with your Medicare Advantage Plan, neither the plan nor Medicare will pay the bill.
Medicaid
Most states provide state-funded supportive services to elders and disabled individuals who meet income and functional eligibility guidelines. These non-medical supportive services are designed to enable frail elders to remain in their homes.
Most states also provide for state-funded nursing or physical therapy services at home for those individuals who qualify.
Insurance
Medicare is not the only payor who pays for home care. Commercial health insurance policies typically cover some home care services for when a person is recovering from surgery or illness. However, benefits for long-term services vary from plan to plan. Commercial insurers generally pay for medical care in the home with a cost-sharing provision. Cost sharing varies with individual policies. You should contact your health insurer for more information.
As the public's need and preference for home care has grown, private long-term care insurance policies have expanded their coverage for in-home care. Home care benefits vary greatly among plans but most plans today cover home care.
Other payors
There are other sources of payment for home care services. These can include Workers Compensation, the Veterans Administration, the Military Health Program, the Older Americans Act and more. Many home care providers have foundations that will pay for home care for low-income families.
Private Pay
If an individual does not qualify for home care benefits through insurance or Medicare or Medicaid, that individual may want to consider arranging payment privately with the agency.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Registered Nurse is One Thriving Job that is Here to Stay
Registered Nurses
Registered nursing tops the health-care occupations with the greatest number of total jobs (2.5 million). Openings are expected to rise 23 percent from 2006 to 2016. Recent news reports say that 116,000 jobs for registered nurses are currently open in hospitals, with another 100,000 unfilled positions at nursing homes. An additional 587,000 new jobs are predicted to open, which makes nursing the single-largest occupation in terms of career growth.
Prepare to land an opening by completing an online associate or bachelor's degree program in nursing. The median 2008 annual wage for registered nurses was $62,450, with top earnings at $92,240.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
HawthoRNe Premeries Tonight
Tonight at 9/8C TNT will premier its new show HawthoRNe, a character-driven drama series about a nurse who is a true everyday hero.
HawthoRNe is about a compassionate and headstrong Chief Nursing Officer heading up a group of dedicated nurses at Richmond Trinity Hospital who spend long days and nights on the hospital’s front lines.
Jada Pinkett Smith plays Christina Hawthorne, the kind of nurse you want on your side when you or someone you love is in the hospital. She is the kind of nurse who fights for her patients and doesn’t let them slip through the cracks. When necessary, she takes on doctors and administrators who are overworked, distracted or just unable to see the human being behind the hospital chart.
Whether showing humanity to a homeless woman, trying to talk a suicidal cancer patient off a ledge or exposing a doctor’s near-fatal error, Hawthorne will do everything in her power to help her patients. When a patient’s care is at risk, she doesn’t hesitate to violate protocol, defend her staff or stand up to administrators who seem to have forgotten a hospital’s true purpose.
But the long days at the hospital and Hawthorne’s intense focus on helping others take a toll on her personal life. Christina is recently widowed – her husband died one year ago after a battle with cancer, leaving her to raise a smart, rebellious teen-age daughter on her own. Hawthorne is still coming to terms with losing her husband, finding a way to balance her career with her equally important role as a single parent, and finding the time to take care of someone who always seems to fall through the cracks – herself.
Joining Pinkett Smith in HAWTHORNE is Michael Vartan (Alias) as Dr. Tom Wakefield, the oncologist who treated Christina’s husband and serves as Chief of Surgery for the hospital. The cast also includes Suleka Mathew (Men in Trees) as Bobbie Jackson, a fellow nurse and one of Hawthorne’s best friends; David Julian Hirsh (Lovebites) as Ray Stein, a nurse struggling with being accepted in a female-dominated profession; Christina Moore (90210) as Candy Sullivan, a nurse with a unique sense of duty; and Hannah Hodson (TNT’s The Ron Clark Story) as Camille, Hawthorne’s daughter. In addition, special guest star Joanna Cassidy (Six Feet Under) portrays Amanda, Hawthorne’s mother-in-law, who also happens to be a member of the hospital board.
(Image and text from www.tnt.tv)
For more about the show visit: http://www.tnt.tv/series/hawthorne
Monday, June 8, 2009
Nurses are the Number Two Hardest Position to Fill
Forbes published an article entitled, The Hardest Jobs to Fill in America, which lists and breaks down why there is a need for these professionals. According to the list, nurses are the second hardest job to fill behind engineers.
Here is a segment from the article describing the need for nurses.
Here is a segment from the article describing the need for nurses.
"The next profession on the list, nursing, also requires an interest in math and science. But that isn't why there's a shortage of nurses. The demand for them is higher than ever because the aging American population needs more and more health care, and advances in medicine are enabling nurses' patients to survive and need treatment longer, while many nurses are reaching retirement age.
Exacerbating the shortage is a lack of educators able to train the next generation. Karen L. Miller, dean of the nursing school at the University of Kansas Medical Center, laments, "If there aren't enough teachers, we can't make more graduates."
2. Nurse
There are several causes of this shortage. First, America's aging population requires more caregivers for chronic illnesses affecting older people. Also, advances in medical care require more nurses to assist in treatment. However, there's a shortage of nurse educators, so while demand for professionals is great, there aren't enough teachers to train the next generation fast enough."
Forbes.com
Click Here to Read the Full Article
Interim HealthCare of Omaha can help those who need to fill their open nursing positions. As a medical staffing agency we take the headache out of trying to find a qualified nurse that fits the facilities needs. By placing the right nurse to fill the position, Interim HealthCare makes sure the people in the facility can receive the care they need.
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