Home Health Care in the City of Orange, CA

One plan, many doctors

Medicare describes how this is supposed to work. Home health staff talk with your doctor or other provider about the care plan, and keep them updated on your progress. In practice, our nurses:

• compare the hospital discharge list with the medicines actually in the house;
• note what each specialist asked for and flag anything that seems to conflict;
• report changes, such as new swelling, a wound that looks different, or a fall, to the doctor who ordered the care;
• help you write down questions for the next appointment so they don’t get lost.

(medicare.gov)

Who orders home health?

A doctor or other health care provider, such as a nurse practitioner, must see you in person and confirm you need home health care, then order it. Often that happens before you leave the hospital. Sometimes it happens a few days later at a follow-up visit, when it becomes clear that getting around the house is harder than expected. Either way, you can ask for the agency you prefer.