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A Home Health Agency may be a public, nonprofit or proprietary agency or a subdivision of such an agency or organization. Check the State of Michigan Career Portal for a list of current openings in Michigan government. View Department pages to learn more about working in state government, connect with us on social media and contact department Equity and Inclusion Officers. There are more than 11,000 home health agencies in the US. Overwhelmingly though, aides work for home health agencies. You must be homebound, and a doctor must certify that you're homebound.
Individual health professionals should check on licensure requirements with the Bureau of Professional Licensing. This page is designed to assist providers through the federal certification process, as well as provide additional resources to maintain compliance. Here are the home health agency requirements to be considered Medicare-certified.
Medicare coverage
Your ZIP Code allows us to filter for Medicare plans in your area. There are other alternatives to home health agencies besides caregivers. An increasing number of people are finding themselves in the position of caregivers. Caregivers may take care of parents, spouses, or children with special needs. They might help with food shopping and cooking; house-cleaning; paying bills; giving medicine; bathing, dressing, and other personal care; and providing company and emotional support.
Meets additional requirements as the Secretary finds necessary for the effective and efficient operation of the program. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
What is a Medicare-certified home health agency?
Before you start getting your home health care, the home health agency should tell you how much Medicare will pay. The agency should also tell you if any items or services they give you aren't covered by Medicare, and how much you'll have to pay for them. This should be explained by both talking with you and in writing. The home health agency should give you a notice called the Advance Beneficiary Notice" before giving you services and supplies that Medicare doesn't cover.
Home health agencies give care in the home, as their name implies. People with medical conditions or disabilities sometimes get home health care services from these agencies, as an alternative to nursing home care. Services offered depend on the agency, but might include things like skilled nursing care, physical therapy, or home health aide services. Some agencies may also teach you how to care for yourself.
Home health aides (HHA) can work in a variety of environments
This helps you and the home health agency know earlier in the process if Medicare is likely to cover the services. Medicare will review the information and cover the services if the services are medically necessary and meet Medicare requirements. For people who cannot live independently, but do not require nursing home services, there are board and care homes. These homes are set up as group living arrangements to meet the needs of the residents. The staff usually provides help with certain daily living activities, such as eating, bathing, walking, and toileting. Private long-term care insurance and medical assistance may help residents pay for this type of home care service.
AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that empowers people to choose how they live as they age. Home Health Compare was created through the efforts of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services , an agency of the U.S. Proprietary agency is a private, profit-making agency or profit-making hospital.
What does it mean for an agency to be Medicare-certified?
During the COVID-19 pandemic, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, and physician assistants can provide home health services, without the certification of a physician. Your Medicare home health services benefits aren't changing and your access to home health services shouldn’t be delayed by the pre-claim review process. CoPs are federal regulations with which home health agencies must comply in order to receive funding from Medicare and Medicaid programs. Medicare-certified home health agencies can only hire and employ home health aides who have been trained and passed a competency evaluation – that is, they need to certified. The law states the requirements of home health agencies to hire only certified home health aides. State licensing is not required for home health agencies.
Usually, a home health care agency coordinates the services your doctor orders for you. The home health agency caring for you must be Medicare-certified. Looking at the information in the Home Health Compare section of If your doctor decides you need home health care, you have the right to choose the home health agency you use. Your choice should be honored by your doctor, hospital discharge planner or other referring agency. If you are in a Medicare Advantage plan, you may have to use a home health agency specified by the plan.
If you are homebound and need health care–for example, if you were recently in the hospital for an operation–Medicare might pay for health care at home. Medicare-approved home health agencies can sometimes substitute for nursing homes, usually on a temporary basis while you recover. That simply means that the agency is approved (i.e., certified) by Medicare and meets certain and specific federal health and safety requirements. Your doctor or hospital discharge planner can guide you about whether you need care in the home, and where to get information about home health agencies.
You must be under the care of a doctor, and you must be getting services under a plan of care created and reviewed regularly by a doctor. You’re entitled to the same level of services whether you are a member of a Medicare Advantage plan or are enrolled in Original Medicare . Most home health agencies are Medicare-certified which means they can only employ home health aides who have been trained and passed a competency exam – they must be certified. The federal government finds necessary for the effective and efficient operation of the program.
Only when all of the above is satisfied can the agency offer home health care to Medicare qualified recipients – and the care can only be provided by certified home health aides . Home health agencies that are Medicare approved can provide services that will be reimbursed by Medicare. Most home health agencies are Medicare approved; this means they can provide services that will be reimbursed by Medicare.
Perhaps, some don’t provide the breadth of services that Medicare requires (e.g., skilled nursing care) and some may only accept private pay clients. EHealth's Medicare website is operated by eHealthInsurance Services, Inc., a licensed health insurance agency doing business as eHealth. The purpose of this site is the solicitation of insurance. Contact may be made by an insurance agent/producer or insurance company. EHealth and Medicare supplement insurance plans are not connected with or endorsed by the U.S. government or the federal Medicare program. Home health agencies that provide skilled nursing services may apply for certification to participate in the Medicare/Medicaid programs.
Your doctor must authorize and periodically review your care plan. Except for hospice care, the services you receive must be intermittent or part-time, and be provided through a Medicare-certified home health agency. Home health agencies provide services to those who are homebound and need skilled nursing or therapy. Your doctor or other health care provider may recommend you get services more often than Medicare covers. Or, they may recommend services that Medicare doesn’t cover.
Home Health Compare has information about the quality of care provided by "Medicare-certified" home health agencies throughout the nation. "Medicare-certified" means the home health agency is approved by Medicare and meets certain federal health and safety requirements. Home Health Compare can help you or your family or friends choose a quality home health agency that has the skilled home health services you need. The small percentage of agencies that are not certified may be so for a variety of reasons.
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