FIRST CHOICE HOMECARE AGENCY

An In Home Supportive Care Agency provides services in the patient's home with the goal of enabling the patient to remain at home. The services provided may include personal care services such as hands-on assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs), e.g., eating, bathing, dressing, and bladder and bowel requirements; homemaker services and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs), e.g., taking medications, shopping for groceries, laundry, housekeeping, and companionship; and/or supervision or cuing so that a person can perform tasks themselves.

A public or privately owned facility providing meals to individuals traveling long distances or receiving prolonged outpatient medical services away from home.

An individual who provides general household activities such as meal preparation, laundry, and light housekeeping, when the individual regularly responsible for these activities is temporarily absent or unable to provide for himself. Homemakers must meet the state defined training standards.

A person who provides case management services and assists an individual in gaining access to needed medical, social, educational, and/or other services. The person has the ability to provide an assessment and review of completed plan of care on a periodic basis. This person is also able to take collaborative action to coordinate the services with other providers and monitor the enrollee's progress toward the cost-effective achievement of objectives specified in the plan of care. Credentials may vary from an experience in the fields of psychology, social work, rehabilitation, nursing or a closely related human service field, to a related Assoc of Arts Degree or to nursing credentials. Some states may require certification in case management.

An individual who provides assistance with eating, bathing, dressing, personal hygiene, activities of daily living as specified in the plan of care. Services which are incidental to the care furnished, or essential to the health and welfare of the individual may also be provided. Personal care providers must meet state defined training and certification standards

An individual who provides supervision, socialization, and non-medical care to a functionally impaired adult. Companions may assist or supervise the individual with such tasks as meal preparation, laundry and shopping, but do not perform these activities as discrete services. These services are provided in accordance with a therapeutic goal in the plan of care.

An organization that is responsible for providing case management services. The agency provides services which assist an individual in gaining access to needed medical, social, educational, and/or other services. Case management services may be used to locate, coordinate, and monitor necessary appropriate services. It may be used to encourage the use of cost-effective medical care by referrals to appropriate providers and to discourage over utilization of costly services. Case management may also serve to provide necessary coordination of non-medical services such as vocational rehabilitation, education, employment, when the services provided enable the individual to function at the highest level.

A public agency or private organization, or a subdivision of such an agency or organization, that is primarily engaged in providing skilled nursing services and other therapeutic services, such as physical therapy, speech-language pathology services, or occupational therapy, medical social services, and home health aide services. It has policies established by a professional group associated with the agency or organization (including at least one physician and one registered nurse) to govern the services and provides for supervision of such services by a physician or a registered nurse; maintains clinical records on all patients; is licensed in accordance with State or local law or is approved by the State or local licensing agency as meeting the licensing standards, where applicable; and meets other conditions found by the Secretary of Health and Human Services to be necessary for health and safety.

Source: NUCC, CMS