My name is Jamie Turner and when I turned 22, I started to form a horrible case of acne. I used every cleanser and lotion I could find and I even asked my physician for a topical steroid cream to clear up the zits on my face. After six months of treatment, my physician completed a blood test that concluded that a hormone imbalance was causing my acne. I started on therapy to control the amount of estrogen my body produced. The therapy along with a good diet and exercise regimen helped to clear up my acne. I am sharing my story, because acne is not just a condition that affects teenagers. It can affect adults at any age, and it can cause a great deal of embarrassment. Don't let your acne go untreated. Read my blog instead and learn about both natural and medical treatments that can help you.
Many people do not understand the difference between home health care and hospice care. Both group's goals are to provide the best care to the patient; however, the focus of that care is quite different between the two groups. Home health care services focus on curing a patient's disease, which may include medication, physical therapy, surgery, radiation and treatment outside the accepted medical practices. Instead of focusing on curing the disease, hospice care is focused on helping patients transition through the dying experience.
Home Health Care Medicare Requirements
In order to have home health service approved by an insurance company, the patient must be homebound. This means that the patient is unable to leave their home without the assistance of others. In addition, the patient does not leave their home except for extenuating circumstances, such as funerals, graduations, weddings or religious services.
Additionally, most insurance companies limit the amount of time a patient can receive home health services. If the patient has Medicare insurance, they must be recertified every 60 days. The recertification must be completed by the physician who initially ordered home health care services.
Hospice Care Medicare Requirements
In order for Medicare to approve hospice, the patient must have a terminal illness and be expected to live 6 months or less. The patient does not need to be homebound in order to receive hospice care.
Recertification is completed every 90 days with hospice. A hospice physician or nurse practitioner, rather than the physician who originally ordered hospice care, must complete a face-to-face encounter for recertification. Recertification can continue as long as the patient still has the terminal illness.
Home Health Care Benefits
Home health care services work to help rehabilitate and cure illness. Home health care provides physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy along with nursing services. The patient is the home health care's main focus.
Only certain medical supplies are covered through home health care benefits. The goal of home health care services is to cure or restore the patient to health so that the services are no longer needed. Most home health care services provide social worker visits, therapy visits, skilled nursing visits and home health aide visits.
Hospice Care Benefits
Hospice care focuses on palliative, or symptom control. No curative therapies are tried because they are not appropriate. Hospice services focus on spiritual support, pain relief and any other service directly related to the terminal illness.
All medications, medical supplies and equipment directly related to the terminal illness are covered under hospice. Patients will receive visits from a chaplain, social worker, aide and nurse. Hospice can also provide speech, physical and occupational therapy. Additionally, hospice care helps other family members through bereavement support and respite care.
There are many similarities between hospice care and home health services; however, the one distinguishing characteristic between the two is the type of focus offered. Home health care services work to restore the patient to health, while hospice services help the patient face death by offering comfort measures.
Deciding between the two services is often difficult for the patient and their family members. Many times, it helps to look at the type of care one will receive and the expected outcome of the illness. As with any medical service, the patient has the ability to stop using a service and change to a different service, as long as their physician agrees. For more information about the services offered, contact a company like JFS at Home.
Share6 February 2015
