Home Healthcare Overview

Length of Home Care Services
Summary about coverage this leads to length of Services

In general, your physician will create a treatment plan based on his or her assessment and your prognosis. The pattern in which services and resources are used differs greatly between intermittent care and long term care.

Intermittent Care
Intermittent care is short in length of time, generally projected for 60 days or less. It is often post-hospitalization in nature and the services are performed by a home health agency. Due to the small duration of services and the patient's wavering dependence and recovery, more services are provided at the beginning of care and are tapered down as discharge approaches.

Extended Care
Extended care can have a restriction in time length 6 months to 1 year as certified by a physician, but in case for treatment of chronic and terminal care, the certification can have an indefinite end date. The difference between intermittent care and extended care is the services tend to increase slower in number, and intensify as the patient's needs increase.

Long-term Care
When a person requires someone else to help him with his physical or emotional needs over an extended period of time, this is extended care, or long-term care. The need for long-term care help might be due to a terminal condition, disability, illness, injury or the infirmity of old age.

The need for long-term care may only last for a few weeks or months or it may go on for years. It all depends on the underlying reasons for needing care.



Page 1   |   Page 2   |   Page 3   |   Page 4