Visiting Nurses

Home Health Care encompasses a wide range of health care services provided in the patient’s home with the purpose of maintaining a patient’s optimal level of health, well-being, and independence, according to their personal beliefs and choices. Home care is a collaborative effort involving caregivers, physicians, and an interdisciplinary home care team. It is a cost-effective alternative to extended hospitalization, rehabilitation, or a nursing home stay. Patients are usually more comfortable in their own home and studies have shown patients recover quicker at home.

In order to receive home health care services under Medicare, the patient must require:

• Skilled, intermittent nursing care, physical therapy, or speech therapy
• Have a physician’s order for home health care
• AND be homebound. Medicare considers a person to be homebound if leaving the home would require a considerable effort and if they have a condition due to an illness or injury which restricts the ability to leave home except with the aid of devices or assistance of another person. Homebound patients may leave their home if absences from the home are infrequent or for periods of relatively short duration.

During your first visit, the nurse or therapist will share a lot of information with you. They will also make sure the information we have about you is correct. The first visit may take up to two hours. The nurse or therapist will talk about:

• Your discharge paperwork and/or doctor’s orders
• Your role as a patient/caregiver, including payment responsibilities
• Your “Plan of Care,” including the services you will receive and how often team members will visit
• Your goals for home care
• Your medicines, including side effects and how and when to take them
• Your risk for falling
• How to contact the office with question or concerns

Because everyone’s situation is different, there is no typical visit. We work with you and your doctor to design a treatment plan based on your specific situation. The VNA team members spend as much time as they need with every patient to make sure they are getting the care needed to get healthy again.

Your specific needs and your insurance coverage will help to determine how often VNA team members visit you. The total number of visits scheduled depends on your specific needs. VNA team members visit patients an average of two to three times a week. Visits will happen less often as you improve.

A VNA team member will try to call you on the evening before to schedule a visit for the next day. However, sometimes they may not be able to call until the morning of the visit. We are sorry when we cannot offer more notice. We get new patients added to the schedule every day. Sometimes, they are very sick and require urgent visits. This causes our homecare team members’ schedules to change. They will always try to give you an estimated time when they will arrive. Please answer your phone or return our calls promptly.

We understand the importance of building trust with your caregiving team. That is why we try our best to schedule the same team of clinicians to visit your home every time. Changes in time of day, day of week, and after-hours may impact our ability to schedule the same nurse or therapist, so we cannot guarantee the same provider every time.

Home Healthcare, Hospice & Community Services accepts Medicare, Medicaid, and many private insurances. Home Healthcare, Hospice & Community Services does not deny anyone the care necessary for their health and safety solely on the basis of ability to pay. If you do not have insurance coverage, you may be eligible for service at a reduced fee or free care.

If you or someone you know could use the expert skilled care provided by the VNA, please contact us by calling 603-352-2253  or 800-541-4145 or by emailing us at vna@hcsservices.org. Please do not email protected health information. You can also view our “Make a Referral” page to learn exactly what is needed for a complete referral to any of our programs.

For details about specific programs that HCS can offer, give us a call at 603-352-2253 or join us for Walk-in Wednesdays!