When you need in-home care, we have the resources, knowledge, and expertise you need. Here’s what you need to know to get started with VNS Health.
Home Care
Home care is usually covered by insurance with a medical referral, and insurance covers these services through your recovery.
What are examples of home care?
Home care considered medically necessary and your health care provider will work with VNS Health to develop a care plan. Home care is provided by a nurse, rehab therapist, or licensed social worker and includes:
- Care after you come home from the hospital after an illness (such as congestive heart failure or pneumonia)
- Wound care
- Rehabilitation therapy
- Care after surgery (including gender affirmation surgery), stroke, or injury
Home health aide services may be part of the plan if you are unable to bathe or prepare meals during your recovery.
[mid-page CTA: Did you know that you can still get the help you need while you’re working with your doctor to set up home care? Personal care services from VNS Health can bridge the gap.
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What’s the first step in starting home care?
Because home care requires a referral, the first step in starting care is to speak with your doctor, nurse practitioner, physician assistant, or other health care provider. Your provider can learn more about referring to home care, including eligibility, or fill out a referral form.
How far in advance do I need to set up home care?
Because home care initiated by your provider, you don’t need to worry about setting up care. We work directly with your doctor.
How does the admission process work?
If you are in the hospital, a discharge planner will visit you before you go home. They will explain what you need to know and make sure your transition home goes smoothly.
What should I expect when starting home care?
It’s important to know that a nurse will not visit you on your first day home from the hospital. Before your first visit, someone from VNS Health will call to schedule or confirm your visit. Your first visit may last 2 to 3 hours.
Read What to Expect at Your First Home Care Visit to learn more.
Personal Care
Personal care services may be covered by long-term care insurance or a Medicaid Managed Long Term Care plan. Medicare and private insurance (such as through work) cover personal care when it is medically necessary and you have a referral. You can also pay for them out of pocket (this is called private pay).
What are examples of personal care?
Usually, personal care services are from a home health aide, but you can also hire a nurse for care that’s outside of your care plan. For example, your care plan may say that your nurse will visit every other day, but you require daily infusions. A private-duty nurse can assist on the days your home care nurse doesn’t visit.
- Personal care (help bathing, getting dressed, etc.) from a home health aide, to avoid moving to a nursing home
- Care for someone with dementia
- A private-duty nurse
- Geriatric care management
- A health care escort after a procedure, when you need someone to meet you at discharge to get home safely
- Care that extends what’s covered by insurance
What’s the first step in starting personal care services?
Simply call 1-888-735-8913 or fill out THIS FORM. We’ll ask you questions so we can help you determine the right services and level of care for your specific situation. We’ll also explain costs, and can help you figure out if you’re eligible for Medicaid Managed Long Term Care (MLTC).
If you are already enrolled in an MLTC plan, call 1-888-943-8435 to start care.
How far in advance do I need to set up personal care?
We can often arrange for care to start within 24 hours, though it’s helpful if you call at least a day in advance.
How does the admission process work?
When you agree to start private [MS1] pay services, we’ll assign a personal care supervisor to match you with the right home health aide to meet your needs. The supervisor will then contact you to provide the name of the aide and answer any questions you may have.
What should I expect when starting personal care services?
All home health aides are supervised by a registered nurse. Your nurse will create a care plan that meets your needs and includes your preferences.
Hospice Care
Making the decision to start hospice care can be difficult. At VNS Health, we make it as easy as possible for you to get the information you need to make the best decision about your or your loved one’s care.
What are examples of hospice care services?
Hospice care provides the level of care needed as an illness becomes harder to treat — all from the comfort of home. Services include:
- Medical care related to the terminal illness, including medications, equipment, and all visits from the hospice care team
- Emotional support and spiritual care, such as addressing fears
- Practical help, such as preparing meals
- Personal care, such as bathing and eating
- Support for caregivers and family members, including help with difficult conversations and coping with loss
Hospice care may also provide services that are not part of regular home care. For example, Medicare’s hospice benefit covers the costs if your loved one wants to talk to a social worker or if you would like a dietitian to help you figure out the best foods for your loved one. Medicare does not cover these extra services with home care.
What’s the first step in starting hospice care?
Whether you’re ready to start hospice or you want to ask questions before you decide, call 1-212-609-1900. When you decide to enroll in hospice, an intake coordinator will need to get some information from you. It’s okay if you don’t know all of the answers:
- Who needs care? Do they live at home or in a nursing home or other facility?
- What illness or disease do they have?
- What is their care provider’s name?
- What medications do they take? How often and at what doses?
- Do they use medical equipment, such as an oxygen tank?
- Do they have Medicare or other insurance? (It’s helpful if you have their insurance card available.)
- Do they have advance directives, like a health care proxy or a do not resuscitate order?
- Are they currently receiving home care services?
How far in advance do I need to set up hospice care?
We can often arrange for care to start within 24 hours, though it’s helpful if you call at least a day in advance.
How does the admission process work?
If you decide you are interested in hospice care, the intake coordinator will set up a visit from a hospice admissions nurse. The admissions nurse will meet with you and your loved one. The nurse will take the patient’s vital signs and also ask about their symptoms. Then they will explain in more detail what hospice includes, answer any questions, and help you decide about choosing hospice.
If you and your loved one decide to enroll, the admissions nurse will ask you to sign consent forms (the patient’s representative must sign if the patient is unable to). This allows us to begin providing care.
When you agree to start hospice, VNS Health will:
- Contact your doctor, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant to confirm the need for hospice care.
- Verify insurance coverage (Medicare, Medicaid, and most private insurance plans fully cover hospice care).
- Work with you and your caregivers to organize and schedule care.
What should I expect when starting hospice care?
Once you or your loved one is admitted to hospice care, a hospice nurse will come to you within two days of the admissions visit. During this first visit, the nurse will:
- Explain all of the services VNS Health offers and set up a care plan
- Go over what each member of the care team does and work with you to schedule a time for you to meet them
- Confirm medications, make sure any necessary equipment and supplies have been ordered, and make sure you feel comfortable with the care plan
You’ll also receive our Patient and Family Handbook. This handbook provides important information about caring for your loved one when they are on hospice and about what you should do in an emergency. You will be able to call VNS Health’s caregiver help line, which is available 24/7. When you call, you can talk to a hospice nurse and arrange for them to come as soon as possible if there is an emergency.
Remember that although the members of our care teams are experts on hospice care, you are the expert on your loved one. The hospice team will always respect your and your loved one’s wishes.
