Concord Home Care

May 2012 Senior Digest Q and A

kpark — Thu, 10 May 2012 21:17:40 +0000

Q: What is the difference between an LPN and an RN? The home care agency that cares for my mom sent a new LPN to take over some of the services previously provided by an RN that recently left the company. How do I know if she has the qualifications needed to take care of my mother who is diabetic and has many health issues?

A: An LPN, or licensed practical nurse, has an associate’s degree while an RN, or registered nurse, has a bachelor’s degree in nursing. You say that the LPN is taking over some of the services provided. Is an RN also visiting? Without knowing the details of your mother’s health status, it’s impossible for me to know what type of professional should be seeing her. Typically, in a home care setting, an LPN can provide nursing visits and an RN can provide case oversight. My best advice is to speak with the agency to determine if her needs are being met. If you have any doubts, contact the Rhode Island Department of Health’s licensing department.

April 2012 Senior Digest Q and A

kpark — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 00:42:45 +0000

Q: Does a physician have to indicate a need for home health care in order to qualify for Medicare, or can a physician’s assistant do that as well?

A: A physician’s assistant can sign for the initial certification for evaluation for home care services, though a plan of care order must be signed by a primary physician.

March 2012 Senior Digest Q and A with David DiFilippo

kpark — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 01:38:17 +0000

Q. My family contracted with a home care company to help my mother during the week with things like managing some of her household jobs and bathing. Will these services be covered by Medicare?

A: It sounds like the home care company you hired offers companion services as well. Those services - things like help with cleaning or running errands – are not covered by Medicare. Only the hands-on care that the company provides, like help with bathing or nursing care, are possibly eligible through Medicare following a needs assessment. Your contract should specify which services are covered and which are not.

February 2012 Senior Digest Q and A

kpark — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 01:40:17 +0000

Q: I know that the State has been trying to ramp up the accessibility of home health care services in Rhode Island. Since there seem to be many new home health providers, should I be concerned about the quality of their services? I would feel better if they had been around a while.

A: Rhode Island’s home health care services have definitely expanded in recent years but the requirements for Medicare certification are stringent. You’ll be glad to know that the results of home health measures released by Medicare last fall show that as a state, Rhode Island is scoring better than the national average on most of the quality indicators measured by Medicare. If you want to see how a particular provider scored, visit Medicare.gov/homehealthcompare/search.asp.

Concord Home Health Services: A full service provider, Jewish Herald 1/6/2012

kpark — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:48:09 +0000

Concord Home Health Services, established in 1997, offers a wide array of comprehensive services for homebound clients, said Gwen Kania, vice president/chief operating officer, in a phone interview. The for-profit company primarily serves geriatric individuals throughout Rhode Island and southern Massachusetts. The company, organized as a LLC, employs some 250 people – including registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, physical and occupational therapists, speech therapists, social workers, certified nursing assistants and companions.

One part of the business, Concord Visiting Nurses, offers skilled nursing care to its clients so that they may remain at home.

Kania said that those services are accredited by the Community Health Accreditation Program (CHAP), a national accrediting entity.

Read more…

January 2012 Senior Digest Q and A

kpark — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:44:29 +0000

Q: Is home care necessitated by an injury on the job covered by workers’ compensation? ~ S. Smith, Pawtucket

A: Yes, you should be able to access nursing services at home with workers’ compensation if you have a qualifying condition.

December Senior Digest Q and A

kpark — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 14:25:36 +0000

Q: What’s the difference between private duty care and ordinary home health care? ~ Melissa M., Hope

A: When private pay or private insurance pays for care, service and support for an individual in their home, it is considered private duty home health care. Non-private home health care is for Medicare or Medicaid patients who need intermittent skilled care for a limited period of time. That type of care is reimbursable by the government if the individual is homebound and qualifies for the skilled home health benefit.

November Senior Digest Q and A

kpark — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 14:20:26 +0000

Q: I’d like to visit my sister’s family for the holidays, but she lives in another state and I’m hesitating because I’m responsible for caring for my 90-year old mother. I’ve heard about respite care in assisted living facilities, but she won’t want to be away from her home. Other than Christmas Eve and Christmas Day when my brother will be with her, she would have no one to care for her if I weren’t around. A friend told me that I might be able to get respite care at home. Is that true? ~ Samantha M., Cranston

October 2011 Senior Digest Q and A

kpark — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 16:44:18 +0000

Q: What is the going rate for home care these days?

S. Smythe, Barrington

A: The price you pay for skilled nursing care at home varies depending on the services delivered, but generally, expect to pay around $50 for a home health aide visit, between $80-$125 for a skilled nursing visit, and potentially more for physical, occupational and speech therapy, depending on the condition being treated. Keep in mind, these services may be covered by your insurer or Medicare for eligible participants.

September 2011 Senior Digest Q and A

kpark — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 16:32:17 +0000

Q. I’m told all home nursing care agencies issue customer satisfaction surveys. Where can I access the results of these surveys so I can compare the results among different home care companies?

K. Peters, Cumberland

A: Any agency that is certified by Medicare is required to issue satisfaction surveys. However, survey results are not currently publicly posted, though the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) has plans to begin posting them publicly beginning in 2012. Until that time, you can ask the agencies that you are interested in if they are willing to share their survey results with you.