How to start home health care
How to start home health
To start home health, call us, get your physician’s order, and let us verify your coverage. A nurse’s first visit builds the plan of care, your physician signs it, and care begins on the agreed schedule.
Most home health starts one of two ways: a hospital discharge planner sets it up before you leave, or you and your physician decide you need it at an ordinary appointment. Either route works, and in both of them you have a right most people do not know about.
You choose your home health agency. A hospital may suggest one, and that suggestion is often perfectly good — but the choice is legally yours. If you want Communicare Elite, say so, and say it before discharge. Nobody can assign you an agency over your objection.
How do you get home health care, step by step?
- Call us. Describe the situation. We will tell you whether it sounds like home health, and what to ask your physician for.
- Get the physician’s order. Home health cannot start without an order and a signed plan of care. We can communicate directly with the physician’s office to sort out the paperwork.
- We verify coverage. Before care begins, so you are not surprised afterward. How payment works.
- The first visit — the assessment. A nurse comes to your home, reviews your history and medications, examines you, looks at how your home actually works, and builds the plan of care with you.
- The plan of care is signed by your physician, setting out which services you receive and how often.
- Care begins on the agreed schedule. What to expect.
How do I set up home health after a hospital stay?
If you are being discharged, tell the discharge planner you want Communicare Elite, and call us in parallel — a same-day heads-up lets us start verification and scheduling before you are home. The first 48 hours after discharge are when readmissions happen, and a delayed first visit is one of the reasons.
What should I have ready to start home health?
- Your insurance or MO HealthNet card.
- A list of your current medications, including over-the-counter ones.
- Your physician’s name and phone number.
- Hospital discharge paperwork, if you have it.
- The name of anyone who helps you at home.
Do not send health information by text or email. Neither is secure. Bring it to a phone call or to the first visit. Our privacy practices →
What if home health is not the right fit?
Sometimes what someone needs is not skilled care but daily help that lasts far longer than any clinical episode. We will say so. For MO HealthNet participants that usually means Consumer Directed Services, which we also operate — so the conversation continues rather than restarting elsewhere.
Ready to begin?
Call us, or text us. Home health starts with an order from your physician — we can talk you through how to get one.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a referral for home health care?
You need a physician’s order and a signed plan of care; home health cannot start without them. You do not need the paperwork before you call us. Describe the situation, we will tell you whether it sounds like home health and what to ask your physician for, and we can communicate directly with the physician’s office to sort out the order.
Can I choose my own home health agency?
Yes. The choice is legally yours. A hospital may suggest an agency, and that suggestion is often perfectly good, but nobody can assign you an agency over your objection. If you want Communicare Elite, tell the discharge planner before you leave the hospital, and call us at the same time so we can start verification and scheduling.
What happens at the first home health visit?
A nurse comes to your home, reviews your history and medications, examines you and looks at how your home actually works. Together you build the plan of care, which your physician then signs, setting out which services you receive and how often. Have your insurance or MO HealthNet card, medication list and discharge paperwork ready.