Home health care questions, answered plainly

Home health care is skilled medical care at home, such as nursing and therapy, ordered by a doctor. Home care is non-medical help with daily tasks like cooking, cleaning or companionship, and it does not need a doctor’s order. Many families use both.

No. Call us first. Home health care is provided under a doctor’s order, and we help get it in place.

We aim to start care within 24 to 48 hours of a completed referral and doctor’s order. Timing depends on the order and the patient’s situation, and we do our best to move quickly.

A nurse or therapist reviews the doctor’s orders, medications and home safety, then builds a plan of care with the patient, family and doctor. How often visits happen depends on the doctor’s orders and the patient’s needs. Home health is part-time care, not 24-hour care.

We serve DuPage, Cook, Lake, Kane, McHenry and Will counties in the Chicago area. Call with your address and ZIP code and we will confirm.

We care for people recovering after a hospital or rehab stay and people managing ongoing conditions, such as wound care needs, diabetes, COPD, heart failure, joint replacement recovery and fall risk. Call us to talk through your situation.

Generally you need all of these: care ordered by a doctor or other health care provider who saw you in person, a need for part-time or intermittent skilled care such as nursing or therapy, homebound status, and care from a Medicare-certified agency. We can help you find out if it is a fit. Source: Medicare.gov.

Medicare describes it as two things together: leaving home is not recommended because of your condition, or you need help to leave, and leaving takes a lot of effort. It does not mean you can never leave home. Source: Medicare.gov.

Original Medicare may cover home health care from a Medicare-certified agency when eligibility requirements are met. Medicare says you pay nothing for covered home health services, and 20% of the Medicare-approved amount for medical equipment after the Part B deductible. With Medicare Advantage or another plan, check with your plan. We review your coverage with you. Source: Medicare.gov.

Medicare does not cover 24-hour care at home, home-delivered meals, homemaker services such as shopping or cleaning, or personal care like bathing and dressing when it is the only care you need. Part-time aide help can be covered while you also receive skilled nursing or therapy. Source: Medicare.gov.

Yes. Patients have the right to choose their agency. Under Medicare discharge planning rules, hospitals give patients a list of available agencies and may not limit which ones they can choose. We are glad to be considered, and we respect your choice.

Check that it is Medicare certified, licensed by the state, and ideally accredited. You can look up any agency on Medicare Care Compare. Home Heal Healthcare is Medicare certified, CHAP accredited and licensed by the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Call (630) 518-4815, fax (630) 701-6534, or use Refer a Patient. Our team will tell you what we need, which usually includes the doctor’s order and recent clinical records. Patients have the right to choose their agency, and we respect that choice.

We follow the doctor’s orders, report changes to the doctor or other health care provider, and give families updates in plain language. Our nurses and therapists speak many languages, including English, Spanish, Polish, Arabic, Urdu, Russian and Ukrainian, and more.

Home health can help by catching early warning signs, teaching patients and families, and keeping the doctor informed, which can help avoid some hospital returns. It cannot promise a patient will never return to the hospital.