Home Health Services Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of funding is available for me?

There are four major payers for home health services. The first is Medicare. Medicare covers skilled visits from a nurse, physical and/or occupational therapist when there has been a hospitalization or a new medical condition that requires monitoring and/or teaching. Medicare will also cover teaching when there has been a new medication for an existing condition or a change in an existing condition. Therapists will deliver therapy sessions in the home according to your physician’s orders. In order to qualify for these services you must be homebound, have a physician’s order for the service, have a “skilled” need as identified by Medicare and have traditional Medicare. (If you have a Medicare HMO, you must go through your primary health care provider to get authorization for home health service). Medicare covers skilled visits 100%. Medicare will also pay for bath visits from a home health aide while you are receiving skilled services. Medicare will not pay for cleaning, errands, etc.

The second major payer source in this area is the Council on Aging. They administer two programs that cover cleaning, errands, personal care and respite for the families caring for older adults. In order to qualify for these programs, you must meet income requirements. One program is a Medicaid-level income program and one is a middle class-level income program. In order to obtain these services, you must call the Council on Aging and schedule an assessment from one of their nurses or social workers. In order to get LifeSphere as your provider, you must tell the assessor that you request us at the time of the assessment.

The third payer source for home care services is long term care insurance. Traditional health insurance does not cover non-medical care in the home, but there are long term care insurance policies that do cover cleaning, personal care and errands.

The last payer source is private pay. This is when the individual pays out of pocket for non-medical care in the home. For this care, we require that there be a regularly scheduled service with a two hour minimum block of time.

Maple Knoll Home Health Services participates in all of these programs. In order to get started with these services, call 513.782.2546 for assistance.

How do I receive Home Health Services? Where do I start?

You can call us directly at 513.782.2546 and we can do the rest! We work hand in hand with you, families, and physicians to personalize a home health plan for each individual. If you are not sure about what you need, our R.N. community liaison is available to help answer your questions about home health and other available community resources, including home delivered meals & medical transportation through Sycamore Senior Center or Maple Knoll Community Services. The Maple Knoll Home Health community liaison nurse can be reached at 513.782.2775