Information for Physicians
Home care is appropriate for patients whose medical needs can be safely managed at home when patient has:
- A desire to remain at home and is unable to leave home safely without assistance (Not all payors require homebound status; however, Medicare and some select payors do)
- Services that can be provided safely in the home with attainable goals
- Acuity/Severity of Illness: Physiologic abnormalities, uncontrolled symptoms/disease process, risk of adverse events which may require frequency of clinical judgments and re-evaluations
- Co-Morbidities: multiple disease processes which may include: education, physical assessments, treatments, wound management, telemonitoring, infusion therapy and medication administration and management
- Dependency: Functional impairments caused by disease which may include equipment and training use, skilled or unskilled care, education, rehabilitative therapy, safety evaluation
Physician Rights:
- Expect timely, professional care for your patient delivered by qualified personnel.
- Receive regular updates about progress of the case.
- Expect services to be provided only under your orders.
- Have access to our services twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven (7) days a week.
- Expect us to maintain the confidentiality of communications between your staff and our staff.
The physician's role in home care:
- The physician plays an integral role in the delivery of home care.
- Approve and supervise the patient's care in the home.
- Determines eligibility for home care.
- Authorizes initial assessment for home care.
- Collaborates with the home care inter-disciplinary team to develop the Plan of Care.
- Authorizes medical necessity of services and treatments.
- Open communication with the home care when changes in patient status occurs.
- Works with home care to enable the patient to remain in their home whenever possible.
- Continues to assess patient at regular intervals throughout the treatment period.
- Participates in discharge planning.
- Physicians must be involved in home care for effectiveness and regulatory reasons.
Physician Responsibility:
- Supply us with complete and accurate information about the patient's medical history.
- Notify us if the services or schedule of services needs to be changed.
- Allow us to participate in the development of the patient's plan of care for home care services.
- Order services, treatments, and medications, which are within the scope of accepted medical practice.
- Be available to make decisions regarding the patient care.
- Keep us informed of any important information relevant to the patient's care.
- Sign or complete the required paperwork or documentation in a timely manner.
- Make arrangements for alternate medical coverage if you will not be available.
