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How To Locate A Home Health Care Agency

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The following sources can be helpful in locating and / or providing referrals to a home health care agency. 

  • Doctor
    • Your doctor or his patients may have first hand experience with local home health care agencies.
      • Which agency would he recommend? Why?
      • Which agencies would he avoid? Why?
      • Does he or she recommend the agency frequently? (The more the doctor uses the agency, the more leverage you will have in case there's a problem.)
  • Employer
    • Many employers have employee-assistance programs designed to help workers navigate the maze of health care choices – including home care.
  • Hospital
    • Some hospitals have their own home health care program or contract with a particular agency. Others may routinely refer patients to certain agencies.
    • Contact the hospital’s discharge planner / social work department for suggestions and questions
  • Local disease specific non-profit organization
    • Your local disease specific organization can be a great source of information about available home health care agencies
  • Support groups
    • A local support group for patients or caregivers is another good source for first hand experience / information about home health agencies.
  • Medicare
    • To locate a Medicare/Medicaid certified home health agency call 800.MEDICARE, or confirm accreditation using the JCAHO, CHAP, or NAHC home health care locators listed below.
  • Joint Commission On Healthcare Quality Research (JCAHO)
    • JCAHO is a not-for-profit organization that reviews quality of service, and provides voluntary accreditation for home health care agencies, hospitals, nursing homes, hospices, and other medical facilities.
    • JCAHO’s website allows you to locate local home health care agencies and compare their ratings which range from accreditation with commendation to accreditation with deficiencies. See http://www.qualitycheck.org/consumer/searchQCR.aspx offsite link
  • Community Health Accreditation Program (CHAP)
    • CHAP is a not-for-profit organization that was the first home care accrediting body in the nation to receive “deemed” status from the federal government. CHAP is one of only two national accrediting bodies (along with JCAHO) with this distinction.
    • By approving CHAP for deemed status, the government certified that CHAP's Standards of Excellence met or exceeded the government's own standards for Medicare certification. To find a list of CHAP accredited agencies see www.chapinc.org offsite link 
  • National Association For Home Care (NAHC)
    • NAHC is the nation's largest trade association representing home care agencies, hospices, home care aide organizations, and medical equipment suppliers. NAHC's duties range from professional development to fighting for better regulations, to providing the latest information affecting home care and hospice providers. In addition, NAHC supplies a good deal of consumer related information.
    • The NAHC provides the Homecare/Hospice Agency Locator, which searches a database of over 22,500 home care providers. The locator narrows your search by allowing you to choose from area agencies that are licensed, Medicare/Medicaid Certified, and JCAHO or CHAP accredited. You can further narrow your search by indicating the specific services that you will require of an agency. To learn more, see: www.nahc.org . offsite link
  • State Agencies

Once you locate a home health care agency in your area, see How To Choose A Home Health Care Agency. For information about paying for a home health care agency, click here. For information about maximizing use of a home health aide, click here.


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