Home healthcare is an economical, convenient and effective way to receive the care you need at home. Plus, it’s less expensive than inpatient hospital care and may save Medicare money as well.
Home health care services are provided by a specialized team of health professionals, such as nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists and speech therapists. Each staff member has been carefully screened and trained to meet patient requirements.
Dietitians
Dietitians are an essential element of home healthcare teams, working alongside nurses, therapists and other direct care personnel to provide patient-centric nutrition support. They assess patients’ nutritional needs and make tailored recommendations with various objectives in mind.
Home healthcare agencies may employ community or hospital-based dietitians to provide personalized nutrition assessments, therapeutic diets and medical nutrition therapy services. Dietary interventions can reduce disease risk factors, complications from illness and overall medical costs for individuals living with chronic conditions like diabetes or kidney disease.
Nursing home dietitians ensure their patients have access to nutritious food that meets their specific dietary requirements, such as a low sodium diet for those with kidney or cardiac conditions. Furthermore, they assist those residents who experience difficulty swallowing and cannot eat independently.
Laboratory Tests
Laboratory tests are an integral component of home healthcare, helping detect health issues before they worsen. This makes treating and preventing them much simpler, decreasing the chance for serious outcomes.
A medical professional will come directly to your home to collect a sample of blood, urine or fecal fluids for testing. The results will then be sent on to your doctor for review and further assessment.
In addition to these medical tests, many people now have access to at-home test kits that can be used for screening certain conditions and diseases. These convenient and private kits offer a convenient alternative.
However, home tests are not as accurate as lab-based tests and cannot diagnose diseases. Furthermore, they should never replace professional medical advice from a healthcare provider and must be interpreted carefully.
Over-the-counter at-home tests can be purchased without a prescription from retail stores or online. Before purchasing one of these tests, be sure to verify its accuracy, reliability, validity and safety through clinical trials conducted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Medicine and Medical Equipment
Medicine and medical equipment are tools used to diagnose or treat health conditions, like a blood glucose meter. They’re commonly employed by healthcare professionals in hospitals or at home, and can either be rented or purchased.
In many cases, medical equipment must be prescribed by a physician in order to be reimbursed by insurance companies. Patients may also have to locate an HME/DMEPOS supplier who accepts their particular insurance plan.
Another consideration is the ease of use and lack of training or maintenance required by lay users. This can reduce costs and put less strain on the medical system.
Medical equipment comes in many forms, from first aid supplies to durable medical equipment (DME). Furthermore, there is an ever-expanding selection of advanced home healthcare technology that can be used by healthcare professionals or lay people for respiratory support, haemo- or peritoneal dialysis systems and infusion pumps for providing nutrients or medication.
Transportation
Transportation plays a pivotal role in providing healthcare and ensuring patients get the treatment they need. It also plays an integral role in keeping patients and caregivers safe and comfortable during medical appointments.
Different modes of transportation exist. Some are more reliable than others, saving patients both time and money.
Home health care transportation services offer individuals a convenient and dependable way to get to their doctor’s appointments. Plus, these services have safety protocols in place along with specialized equipment that help reduce any stress experienced during the journey.
According to the American Hospital Association (AHA), transportation issues are a primary reason why people miss medical appointments. Currently, 3.6 million Americans miss their appointments due to transport problems.