Home Health Care

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Skilled and trusted care in the comfort of your home

Home health care services can help you recover after surgery, illness or injury in the comfort of your own home. It can also be a big help for those with a chronic disease or disability to regain your independence. Home health is also one of the most personal kinds of care because it happens in your home.

Our health care professionals play an important role in listening to your concerns and understanding your medical needs. Together with your doctor, we create a personal care plan for you. We keep your doctor up to date on your condition, which results in better outcomes and more support for you and your family.

How home health care can benefit you and your family

Our home health care services include chronic illness management, telehealth monitoring and palliative care. Our team of experts works closely with you or your loved one as well as doctors and caregivers to plan for your care. Our team will help you meet your goals by teaching you how to:

  • Take your medicines safely
  • Stay out of the hospital
  • Manage your medical treatments and diet
  • Get better after surgery
  • Move about safely and avoid falls

You may also be interested in palliative care home services for an added layer of support.

Main Line Health HomeCare is a Medicare-certified, state-licensed and Joint Commission-accredited home health agency. Medicare, Medicaid and most private insurance companies, including HMO and PPO plans, cover home health services.

For immediate service, please call 1.888.533.3999 between 8:30 a.m.–6 p.m., Monday through Friday, or 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m., Saturday, Sunday and holidays. You can also submit an online referral at any time or email us for more information.

"Theresa was the home care nurse for our 91-year-old mother who had taken a fall and was kept overnight in the hospital. Our mother has the start of dementia and Theresa was so caring and compassionate, always speaking directly to her, explaining things step-by-step and treating her with dignity and respect."

Our services

We understand how important it is to feel comfortable with the people who are caring for you or your loved one. That’s why we only hire skilled and health care providers who are considerate and gentle and work as a team to help you.

Since 1994, we have proudly provided home care services to patients and families throughout Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties.

Our specially trained home health team members ensure the highest level of expertise when working with you and your physician in developing your individualized plan of care. Your physician certifies that you are eligible to receive home health services, directs your plan of care and receives updates from the home health team on a regular basis.

Our specialty programs include:

Certified home health aides

Home health aides provide personal care services needed to manage your illness. Examples of care provided include assistance with bathing, dressing and meal preparation. All our home health aide staff undergo extensive training and are certified in the state of Pennsylvania.

Chronic illness management

Our skilled team members help patients manage heart disease and lung disease as well as diabetes and other types of chronic conditions.

Dementia care

Caring and adapting to the changing needs of a person with dementia is not easy. Handling the unfamiliar behaviors and challenges of daily care can be a physical and emotional strain on the caregiver. Our Skills2Care® program provides supportive training that helps improve the quality of life of individuals with dementia and their family members.

Medical social workers

Medical social workers assist you with social and emotional factors related to your medical condition or recovery from an illness. Medical social workers provide support, short term counseling services and provide information about care options and assist with accessing available community resources.

Registered dietitians

Registered dietitians evaluate special dietary and nutritional needs related to your health and medical condition. They provide education and counseling about your needs to help you manage your illness. If your doctor recommends dietary changes, or if you are undergoing treatment that affects your appetite, you may benefit from the services of a registered dietitian.

Rehabilitation therapy

Home is the best place to regain your strength and independence. Main Line Health HomeCare and Hospice's rehabilitation team, which includes licensed physical therapists, occupational therapists and speech therapists, will help you improve your quality of life at home, establish a safe environment and help you get back to the things you love and enjoy.

Skilled Nursing

Skilled nurses assess your health care needs, evaluate and monitor your health condition. They provide treatments and educate you and your family about your care. The nurses teach you about your medicines, home safety and how to manage your health so you can stay independent at home.

Telehealth monitoring

Our telehealth program allows us to monitor your care in between visits from the nurse or therapist. Easy-to-use technology to help you track your blood pressure, heart rate, weight and blood oxygen levels at home. Your readings are sent right away to the nurses in our office. The nurses watch for warning signs to keep you healthier and out of the hospital.

Wound ostomy care

Recovering from a complex wound or recent ostomy procedure may make self-care hard to manage. The certified wound and ostomy care nurses at Main Line Health HomeCare and Hospice provide expert wound care and ostomy management in your home. We provide care that supports your recovery and helps prevent complications with post-operative, acute or chronic wounds.

Palliative care

Community-based palliative care is special care for patients with an advanced illness. The goal of palliative care is to improve the patient's quality of life by helping manage symptoms and providing support.

Resources

Payment and billing

Payment

We now offer our home care and hospice patients a safe, secure, convenient and flexible method of paying their copays and bills through our online bill payment feature. Each transaction is encrypted, logged and stored, making it easy to retrieve the transaction information if needed.

Billing

Main Line Health HomeCare & Hospice accepts many types of health insurance for home health care payment including traditional Medicare and Medicaid, Medicare or Medicaid Advantage plans, and many other private insurance plans including Blue Cross and other health maintenance or preferred provider organizations (HMO's and PPO's).

When Medicare Part A is billed for home health services, payment is accepted as payment in full for services provided. There are no deductibles or co-insurance (co-pay) requirements for these services.

Under the Medicare home health benefit, Main Line Health HomeCare & Hospice is responsible to provide or arrange for:

  • Medically necessary outpatient therapies while you are under our care. Outpatient therapy services are not routinely included as part the Home Health treatment plan. If you are interested in outpatient therapy, please discuss this plan with your nurse or therapist.
  • Injectable osteoporosis drugs (e.g., Calcimar, Calcitonin).
  • All medically necessary medical supplies.

We will provide supplies and outpatient therapies only through our contracted companies. If you receive supplies or outpatient therapies that are not arranged by Main Line Health HomeCare & Hospice, payment for these services will be your responsibility.

If services are ordered which are not covered by the Medicare program, we will notify you in advance so that you can make other financial arrangements for the necessary care.

Main Line Health HomeCare & Hospice will also assist clients with claims that are denied by Medicare for reasons such as medical necessity. Your involvement in the appeals process is required.

If you change your Medicare coverage from traditional Medicare coverage to any other type of health insurance coverage, including a Medicare Advantage plan, you must notify your nurse or therapist immediately. Pre-authorization of services is required by most managed care and private insurance plans. Payment may be denied by the insurance company for all services provided if authorization is not obtained.

When managed care or private insurances including HMO's and PPO's are billed for services, your home health benefits are based on a contract between you and your insurance company. You will be responsible for any charges not paid by your insurance company, including but not limited to deductibles, co-insurance (co-pay) amounts, or services provided by out of network providers. These amounts will be billed to you according to your individual insurance plan.

A copy of our fee schedule is available for your review upon request. Fees for home health services can be adjusted for those in need. Any questions can be directed to our Claims Processing Office at 484.580.1420.

If you have any billing questions, contact our billing department at 484.580.1424 or cbo@mlhs.org.

Information Center

Extended home care is committed to providing you with solutions when we can, even if we are not that solution. Below is a list of resources that we have found to be helpful for our clients.

General resources

Home delivered groceries

Aging services

Transportation

For immediate service, please call 1.888.533.3999 between 8:30 a.m.–6 p.m., Monday through Friday, or 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m., Saturday, Sunday and holidays. You can also submit an online referral at any time or email us for more information.

Frequently asked questions

What is home health care?

Home health care describes a variety of skilled services provided to patients at home in order to maintain or restore health and well-being. The goal of home health care is to teach the patient and/or their caregiver to be able to care for the patient at home.

When do home health services begin?

The nurse or therapist will contact the patient within 48 hours of discharge from the hospital to arrange an evaluation visit. The first visit will be scheduled based on the patient's skilled needs. During the first home visit, the nurse or therapist will evaluate the patient and work the patient, caregiver and doctor to determine specific goals and which services are needed.

How is home health care provided?

A team of nurses, physical, occupational and speech therapists and other health care professionals coordinate and provide care based on a plan ordered by the physician. The team visits the patient at home to monitor their condition and provide instruction, working towards the goal of promoting patient and family independence with care. The team communicates with the doctor to discuss the patient's status and response to care. Home health services end when the goals are met, skilled care is no longer needed, or when the patient is capable of leaving home to get care.

Who makes up the home health care team?

The home health team includes nurses, physical therapists, speech therapists, occupational therapists, medical social workers, home health aides and the patient's physician.

Who is eligible for home health aide services?

Home health aide visits are limited to patients receiving care by a nurse or therapist and who require assistance with personal care to meet their skilled need.