WHAT TO ASK...When Interviewing a Home Healthcare Agency | ||
AGENCY INTERVIEWED: _______________________________________ Date: _______________ | ||
| What types of care level do you offer? | ||
| Medical Home Health Care | Companion Care | |
| Non-Medical Home Health Care | Adult Day Care | |
| Physical Therapy / Rehab | Hospice | |
| Costs: | ||
| What are your hourly prices for: | _______________________________________________________________ | |
| Days? _______________________________________________________________________________________ | ||
| Nights? ______________________________________________________________________________________ | ||
| Weekends? ___________________________________________________________________________________ | ||
| Holidays? ____________________________________________________________________________________ | ||
| How does the agency handle billing?_______________________________________________________________ | ||
| Is there a sliding fee schedule based on ability to pay?________________________________________________ | ||
| Is financial assistance available to pay for services?__________________________________________________ | ||
| AGENCY: | ||
| Does they have any printed brochures describing the services it offers and how much they cost? If so, get one. | ||
| How long has the agency been serving this community? | ||
| Is the agency an approved Medicare provider? | ||
| Are the activities posted? | ||
| Is the quality of care certified by a national accrediting body? | ||
| Does they have a current license to practice (if required in the state where you live)? | ||
| Does they offer seniors a “Patients’ Bill of Rights” that describes the rights? Does it cover responsibilities of both the agency and the senior being cared for? | ||
| Does they write a plan of care for the patient, with input from the patient, his or her doctor and family? Do they update the plan as necessary? | ||
| Does the care plan outline the patient’s course of treatment? Does it describing the specific tasks to be performed by each caregiver? | ||
| Does your agency have Professional Liability insurance? | ||
| What is your agency's minimum care level requirement? | ||
| Hours per visit? | ||
| Visits per week? | ||
| STAFF: | ||
| How are agency caregivers hired and trained? | ||
| What type of employee screening is done? | ||
| Will the agency provide a list of references for its caregivers? | ||
| How closely do supervisors oversee care to ensure quality? | ||
| Will agency caregivers keep family members informed about the kind of care their loved one is getting? | ||
| Are agency staff members available around the clock, seven days a week, if necessary? | ||
| Does the agency have a nursing supervisor available to provide on-call assistance 24 hours a day? | ||
| How does the agency ensure patient confidentiality? | ||
| Who does the agency call if the home health care worker cannot come when scheduled? | ||
| What is the procedure for resolving problems when they occur, and who can I call with questions or complaints? | ||
| WHERE CAN I LEARN MORE ABOUT HOME HEALTH CARE? | ||
| There are several national organizations that can provide additional consumer information about home health care services. These include
the following: The National Association for Home Care, which can be reached at 202-547-7424 or by visiting its website at www.nahc.org. The postal address is: 228 7th St., SE; Washington, DC 20003 The Visiting Nurse Associations of America, which can be reached at 617-737-3200 or by visiting its website at www.vnaa.org. Thepostal address is: 99 Summer St., Suite 1700; Boston, MA 02110. US Dept of Health and Human Services Administration on Aging, Washington, DC 20201 phone (202) 619-0724 fax (202) 357-3523 Email: aoainfo@aoa.gov Our website at www.aoa.gov | ||