Are you currently looking for a home healthcare provider for yourself or a loved one for care after a planned surgery or hospitalization? To find the right home healthcare provider for you, we’ve put together several suggestions.
Check your provider’s pedigree
How long has your home healthcare provider been in business? Is it new to the area, or established? Do you know anyone who has used their services? If so, ask how satisfied they were with the care they received, and whether or not they would recommend the service to others.
Find out how your provider rates with patients.
Medicare.gov gives patient satisfaction surveys each year. Home healthcare providers are rated on a scale of one to five across a variety of factors. For instance, Bethany Village Home Health Care has been rated 5 stars for patient satisfaction – the highest rating!
Get references
When you speak to your provider, ask them for references from doctors or surgeons. Ask these references how often they refer patients to your provider, and whether or not they have a contractual relationship with them. These professionals should be able to answer questions about the type of feedback they’ve gotten from other patients who have used this provider, even if only through a survey.
Learn more about the provider’s employees
How does the home healthcare provider select and train its employees? Are these employees treated fairly? What is their level of experience? How do they choose caregivers? What is the process like for joining the company?
Understand the home healthcare provider’s procedures
Ask about how a patient’s course of treatment is documented so that all caregivers are kept informed. Will patients and their loved ones receive copies of records, and how often? How is the patient and their family informed about treatment plans and care concerns?
It may seem daunting to research the right home healthcare provider to care for a loved one after a surgery or hospitalization, but taking the time up front to find the right skilled nursing provider for you can save you a lot of heartache later.
