Home Care

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Home Care is a term used to describe any type of health care delivered in the home. This can range from infusions and wound care to meal preparation or a bath. A number of terms are used to describe care in the home; the most important and commonly used terms are listed below.

Terminology:

Home Health Agency – A home health agency is an entity licensed to provided nursing, therapy, aide, and social work services in the home. In Wisconsin, only licensed home health agencies may bill for Medicare and Medicaid services.  Horizon is a home health agency by definition.

Private Duty – For years, private duty was viewed as an individual, sometimes a nurse, hired by a patient to be by their side at all times. The term is still used today to describe an individual, such as a nurse or aide, that spends a block of time attending to a single patient. Individuals who desire that one-on-one attention call on agencies like Horizon for their vibrant Private Duty programs that address their specific needs.

Home Care – The term home care is a generic descriptor of any form of care provided in the home. Not everyone providing home care is licensed, as Wisconsin does not require licensure unless nursing or therapy is provided also.

Non-Medical Home Care – Organizations providing non-medical care do not offer nursing or therapy services.  Because they do not meet the definition of a home health agency, they are not subject to health care regulatory requirements for quality, outcomes, oversight, clinical supervision, criminal backgrounds, or other rule that govern home health agencies. 

Personal Care Agency – Personal Care agencies are organizations that serve Medicaid individuals for personal care services only. Home health agencies may provide personal care services, as does Horizon.

Horizon is a home health agency that provides all of the services that patients would desire in the home setting.

From meals-on-wheels, homemaker/companion, private duty, therapy, nursing, geriatric case management, to Lifeline, Horizon is a full-service, local, not-for-profit, that delivers the right care at the right time. It exemplifies the high-quality care patients deserve to have in the home, making their situations as personalized and optimal as possible.