FAQ

1. What is homecare?

Homecare refers in general to a complete range of medical and nonmedical services provided in the home.

2. Who is eligible for homecare?

Anyone who is deemed "homebound" according to Medicare guidelines and has physician orders for service is eligible for homecare. Private insurance has its own qualifications, so you should talk with your provider. Private duty services do not require that the patient meet the homebound eligibility standards and can be arranged for directly between family and homecare provider.

3. Is home care covered by insurance?

Homecare is covered by Medicare Part A, Medicaid and private insurance. To check for coverage, call your insurance provider.

4. Is homecare only for elderly people?

People of all ages benefit from homecare. In fact, some of the fastest growing areas of homecare involve post-surgical (any age), maternity, and pediatrics.

5. What services are available with homecare?

Typical homecare services include:

• Skilled nursing
• Physical therapy
• Occupational therapy
• Home health aides
• Speech and language pathology
• Medical social services
• Dietary counseling
• Patient and family education
• Medical supplies and appliances

6. What are the most common conditions and diagnoses for which homecare is used?

Common conditions for which homecare is prescribed include:

• Post surgery situations
• Cardiac problems
• Pneumonia
• Hip and knee replacements
• Stroke
• Cancer
• Diabetes

7. What does the homecare admission process involve?

Orders are received from the patient’s physician for the care to be provided. A registered nurse makes the first visit to the home to discuss the plan of care and do an assessment.

8. How do homecare and hospice differ?

In general, hospice focuses on end-of-life issues, emphasizing comfort and closure. This is often referred to as palliative care. Homecare more often focuses on treatment and recovery. This is most often referred to as curative care.

9. Who is eligible for hospice?

Typically, eligibility for hospice is based on two conditions:

• The individual’s physician has established a prognosis of limited life expectancy, usually six months or less.
• Physician and family agree on a palliative (versus curative) course of care.

10. How are hospice services paid for?

Medicare recipients are entitled to hospice care. Most medical insurances and HMOs offer hospice benefits. You should contact your insurance company to determine coverage.

11. How do I obtain private duty services?

Private duty services can be obtained by working directly with a homecare provider who offers such services. Physician’s orders are not required. Private duty services are paid for by families or through private insurance.

NHA: Yesterday and Today

The year 1893 is often used as the birth date for modern homecare. That’s the year healthcare pioneer Lillian Wald first started making home nursing visits to people in the tenements in New York City.

Just a few years later, in 1912, nine women in Wayne, Pennsylvania, formed the Neighborhood League of the Main Line. Their purpose: “To promote moral, social, and physical betterment in the community.” Today’s NHA traces its roots to this event.

One of their first accomplishments was the hiring of a visiting nurse, who cared for “infants with summer complaint, disease of the pelvic organs, brains and nerves, kidney and bladder, typhoid fever…” and the like. A social worker was added in 1913.

The organization quickly evolved and became part of the community’s essential mix of health services, as evidenced by words such as these.

“…what a comfort it is to know that I can call on her [the homecare nurse] whenever it is necessary…Is it not these kindnesses which count, is not such an organization worthy of the encouragement and support of the community? Are we not helped materially and spiritually when we make an effort to help our deserving home folks?”

-- Letter from homebound resident 1921

The evolution of what is today’s NHA has progressed nonstop through wars, the great flu epidemic, the Great Depression, polio, radical social change, Medicare, moon landings, managed care, along with technological and medical breakthroughs too incredible and numerous to count. Nearly 100 years after the simple beginning in 1912, the vision of those nine founders remains valid and vital. The Chester County community still benefits from their bold, visionary work.

Just as important as a quick look back, is a brief look forward. Homecare is one of the fastest growing segments of the healthcare industry. The need for homecare increases daily. NHA continues to respond with progressive programs such as Senior HealthLink and telehealth. Our staff is better trained than ever before, from skilled nursing to the therapies. Our volunteer program is the largest of its type in the area. Our private duty and personal care programs are expanding rapidly. We continue our plans for growth; our vision of reaching more people and brightening more lives.

We have no idea of what the area’s home care service founders would think if they could take a look at what their idea has become today -- but we’re pretty sure they’d be pleased.

Vision and Mission

The professional nurses, therapists, medical social workers and homecare aides of the Neighborhood Health Agencies, Inc., and subsidiaries deliver quality services to all patients regardless of nationality, race, religion, sex or ability to pay based on available resources. For patients with coverage, it seeks payment from Medicare, Medical Assistance, private insurance, HMOs, Workman’s Compensation and other sources as appropriate. For patients without coverage and unable to pay, NHA, Inc., and subsidiaries invites support from the public and other charitable sources.

Accreditation

Licensed in the state of Pennsylvania for hospice and homecare.

Medicare Certified

Accredited by the Community Health Accreditation Program (CHAP)

Member: The Pennsylvania Homecare Association

Member: The Visiting Nurse Association of Pennsylvania

National Association of Homecare

Privacy Policy

The Neighborhood Health Agencies, Inc., will not provide any of your personal information collected by our website ("Center") to any outside person or company unless we receive your prior express consent. The Neighborhood Health Agencies, Inc., is committed to maintaining the highest level of privacy practical.

The following information describes the information we collect, our privacy policy and the steps we take to protect your personal information. If you have any question about our privacy policy, please contact us.

Information We Collect

We currently collect a limited amount of general information from you and only the minimum amount of information necessary to maximize our information services to our website users.

Your computer communicates with the Center using a particular Internet Protocol Address (IP). Like most sites, The Neighborhood Health Agencies, Inc., can track the user's IP when visiting the site. The IP allows us to track for each user the IP, the browser type, the part of the world from which the user is connecting and the identity of the user's Internet service provider. However, the IP does not provide any personally identifiable information and allows the user to remain anonymous. This information helps us to improve site navigation and to make improvements to the site and content.

Please be aware that if you voluntarily disclose information over the Internet, personal or otherwise, the information is subject to review and collection by unintended third parties. For example, if you email us, it might be possible for other unintended readers to read the contents of your email. The Neighborhood Health Agencies, Inc., has no means to control this.

How We Use Collected Information

The Center records IP addresses for systems administration purposes to obtain data for technical analysis to improve the performance of the Center.

All communications from you to the Center are indexed for technical reasons. For example, it you summit a helpful comment, we keep a record of the information for use by our developers and managers to improve the site.

A copy of most messages sent by email is forwarded to our confidential archives, where developers and managers can use the information to make system improvements on a confidential basis and solely for internal purposes and to monitor traffic flow and user satisfaction.

Our Cookies

Your browser offers so-called "cookies" which -- if you allow their use -- store small amounts of data on your computer about your visit to the Center. Cookies assist us in tracking which of the Center's features you like best. However, cookies do not disclose any personal information.

Third Party Cookies

Third party sites hyperlinked from the Center may contain cookies that are collected by the third party site owner. These cookies are beyond our control and we do not have access to this information. However, these cookies do not provide personal information about you.

Hyperlinks to Third Party Sites

The Center contains a number of hyperlinks to the sites of third parties. These hyperlinks are provided as a service to our customers for informational purposes only. However, the privacy policies of these third party sites such as the types of information collected and the use of the collected information is unknown to and beyond the control of the Center.

Changes and Modifications

In order to improve the level of customer service and to enhance the site over time, The Neighborhood Health Agencies, Inc., reserves the right to change and modify the Privacy Policy at anytime in the future by posting a revised policy on our website. Furthermore, nothing in this Privacy Policy is designed to protect the privacy of visitors whose use of the Center is, in the reasonable judgment of The Neighborhood Health Agencies, Inc., intended for illegal, improper or abusive purposes or for purposes of marketing or solicitation, or would violate any other terms and conditions relating to use of the Center.

Passwords

Unless the user is within one of the Center's encrypted secure pages, the exchange of information between the Center and you is not likely to be secure given the current state of the Internet. We encourage all users to change their passwords frequently and to exercise caution in the online transmission of their electronic mail address, passwords and personal information.