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Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can Adara Home Health take care of me when I get out of the hospital even if I still need medical care?

A: Yes, we have caring, fully-qualified registered nurses (RN) and licensed practical nurses (LPN) available to care for your medical needs. For general nursing care, you’ll be taken care of by a nurse experienced in a broad range of skilled care including specialized training on handling medication regimens, using medical equipment and bed-to-chair transfer. For more complex care such as blood transfusions, infusion therapy or use of a ventilator, a nurse with the required experience and specialized skills will be assigned. All Adara Home Health professional caregivers have been trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

Q: I'm well enough to go home but don't have all my strength back yet. My doctor says I need physical therapy. Do I have to go to a nursing home?

A: You can choose to go back home and receive the kind of rehabilitation you need. We have physical therapists (PT) who will assist in restoring your strength and mobility; occupational therapists (OT) who will assist you with regaining independence in personal care and activities of daily living; speech therapists (ST) who work on speech or hearing problems to improve your communication skills and swallowing.

Q: What if I only need help for a while, until I am back on my feet?

A: Short-term, long-term or intermittent care is available. Everyone’s needs are different—we work to find the solution that is best for you.

Q: My family is only able to be here during the day but what if I need help at night too?

A: Many families have very demanding schedules that prevent them from being available at all hours. That’s why Adara Home Health makes services available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. We provide care on a live-in basis or for sleep-overs. It’s our aim to provide comprehensive care to suit your individual requirements.

Q: What if I just need help with daily chores?

A. In addition to nursing care, Adara Home Health has a range of other professional, non-medical services available such as:

Personal care – A home health aide (HHA) provides personal care such as bathing, assistance with walking and other activities that do not require skilled nursing expertise.

Homemaking – The homemaker/companion assists with meal preparation, housekeeping, and provides emotional support that helps maintain independence.

Q: Will Medicare pay for my home care?

A: Medicare will cover certain services, provided by Medicare-certified providers (Adara Home Health is Medicare-certified), as long as these criteria are met throughout your course of care:

  • The service must be medically reasonable and necessary
  • The Medicare recipient must be homebound, as defined by Medicare
  • The care must be prescribed under physician orders
  • Your care must require skilled services (SN, PT, ST) at the start of care
  • The care must be intermittent or part-time

Medicare will consider coverage for these kinds of service visits:

  • Skilled nursing care
  • Physical therapy services
  • Occupational therapy services
  • Speech therapy services
  • Home health aide services
  • Medical social service

More information about Medicare coverage for home care be found at:  http://www.medicare.gov/coverage/home-health-services.html

Q: Who else pays for home care?

A: Home health care can be paid for in a variety of ways and may be paid by a combination of payers:

  • Medicare
  • Medical Assistance
  • Governmental/Community Funding
  • Insurance – Liability or private
  • Workers’ Compensation
  • Long-term Care Insurance
  • Self/Private Pay
  • Veterans Administration Benefits and Triwest
  • Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO)
  • Preferred Provider Organizations (PPO)

Our expertise in dealing with insurance carriers allows us to verify coverage before care begins. Your health care professional will assist in verifying the extent of your coverage for home care.

Depending on your insurance coverage or other financial considerations, you may be responsible for co-pays, deductibles, non-covered or partially covered services, to the extent permitted by law. You will be notified in writing of the services and supplies covered by Medicare or other payers at the start of care and we’ll let you know if the type of services, supplies or payer changes. You’ll know what to expect when you call us to discuss the details of your situation.

You can also find out more about what resources are available by going to the BenefitCheckUp.org web site.

Q: My family is worried about me and sometimes I'm worried too. Can you help?

A: Yes. Our staff has a deep understanding of how emotionally, socially and financially difficult it can be to cope with serious health concerns or deal with the aging process. We’ll consult with you, your health care provider or designated family members to help you get through difficult times. Plus, we can coordinate resources in your community (like Meals on Wheels), put you in touch with county services or help you locate assistive devices to make your home easier to live in.

Q: How is my caregiver chosen?

A: We understand how important it is for you to be comfortable and feel safe with the people we send into your home. That’s why we take the time to select just the “right” person for you. Our caregivers and health professionals are recruited, screened, tested and trained to ensure that they meet our company’s personal and professional standards and, most importantly, meet our client’s standards. We match your home care needs to the skills, qualities, and expertise of our caregivers. Occasionally, you may have different caregivers while you are receiving care but you can trust that they all are qualified professionals. Periodically, we evaluate each caregiver’s performance against industry-standard criteria as well as our own standards for quality to make sure all employees are meeting our expectations. We also ask for your evaluation of our performance because only you can tell us whether we’re doing a good job.

Q: Who handles the billing and paperwork?

A: We take care of completing and submitting all required paperwork for insurance, Medicare, Medicaid and other payers. The fees for our services may be paid for by a variety of payers: your health insurance company, Medicare, a trust fund, paid directly by you or a relative. In all cases, there is a billing coordinator available at corporate headquarters that can assist you with billing questions.

Our services are billed bi-weekly, billed either per visit or hourly. We use sophisticated, automated timekeeping software to ensure accurate billing – so you can be confident that you’re only paying for services received.

Live-in care is billed at a daily rate. There is a three-hour minimum for hourly services and we require two hours advance notice of cancellation to avoid the minimum bill rate. Our overtime rate is one and one half times the regular rate, and is billed after 48 hours per week and on observed holidays.

All employee wages, withholding taxes, Social Security, Unemployment Insurance and Workers’ Compensation are paid and handled by our office. We also carry professional and business liability insurance.

Q: What is the process for getting home care? Who will I have contact with?

A: We have a team of experienced people who will take care of all the details. Initially, a registered nurse/home care coordinator-case manager will meet with you or with your family to evaluate your needs and develop a care plan. That person will be responsible for managing your home care program. After that, a nurse or therapist will visit periodically to assure that your needs are being met and that care is being provided up to our standards. There is also a service manager or service coordinator assigned to assist your health care professional with scheduling your care, coordinating delivery of supplies and/or equipment and who will make sure you have the right person taking care of your needs.

Q: Who decides what kind of care is needed?

A: Working with you, your doctor, your family or other trusted advisors, a registered nurse/home care coordinator-case manager will assess your needs and requests. We’ll develop a detailed plan for the level of care required and identify the caregivers who are most appropriate to deliver that care. Caregivers will follow your doctor or health care provider’s instructions and begin caring for you according to you personalized care plan.

We’ll keep two charts; one for our office and a second chart for you, usually kept in your home. The home chart is your confidential record and should be placed out of public view.