Will Medicare pay for Home health care?

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nattyb

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Joined
Jul 2, 2009
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4
Reason
PALS
Diagnosis
04/2009
Country
US
State
Virginia
City
Midlothian
I am new to the forum. Diagnosed w/ALS 4/15/09. Can't seem to find anyone who knows if Medicare will pay for a part time health aide to help me shower 3 times a week.

Nattyb
 
Just a home health aide... no. Medicare will pay for a skilled (nurse, physical, occupational or speech therapist) services ordered by your physician. THEN the home health can include a home health aide, will more likely be twice a week but can try for three... Ask your physician to write an order for home health for something skilled... (nurse to teach new medications or wound care, therapist for pt/ot/speech) and for the order to also include home health aide for bathing three times a week. The only thing with home health is that whatever is covered under the skilled benefit has a limited duration... you learn your new meds. the wound heals, pt/ot/speech reaches their goals that are set. Enjoy while you have it, and have you physician order another "series" of home health visits for something different... did he change your meds, are you having new/different pt/ot/speech issues and again include the bath aide. It's a process, it's medicare...... Hope this helps.
 
I appreciate the information. I've been wondering the same!
 
Thanks indigosd. And yes, medicare will cover hospice which is different than home health. An early option is home health and at times an option that patients stay with till the end. But hospice can be started when the physician thinks you are within 6 months of the end of the course of a terminal illness. Hospice and home health have totally different focus's and objectives. Hospice is great support for care givers, family as well as the patient, as it offers end of life counseling, nursing, chaplain, a focus on comfort, patient advocacy for end of life decision making, etc. that you don't get with home health. Home health's focus is treating sick patients and getting them better or to their optimal functioning ability.
 
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