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Suggested Questions to Ask a Home Health Care Provider Selecting a Home Health Care Provider can be made a lot easier by asking some questions about the organization. Consider printing the following and using it as a guide to making your selection. |
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| Provider 1 | Provider 2 | |
| How many years has the provider been serving your community? | ||
| Does the provider offer printed material describing its services and costs? | ||
| Is the provider accredited? This means that their quality of care has been surveyed and approved by an outside accrediting organization (such as CCHSA, ISO). |
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| Is the provider a member of a provincial association that has standards of care - such as OHCA? | ||
| Can you get a service agreement which outlines the services to be provided and the cost, in writing? | ||
| What are the costs for services? | ||
| Will the provider help access insurance policies and/or government funded services on your behalf? | ||
| How does the provider handle billing? | ||
| Will the provider provide a list of references? | ||
| Provider 1 | Provider 2 | |
| What services are provided? | ||
| Will these services meet the home care needs over time? | ||
| Are caregivers available 24 hours per day, 7 days a week? | ||
| Does the provider have a nursing supervisor on call and available 24 hours per day? | ||
| What are the qualifications of the staff? | ||
| Does the provider ensure patient confidentiality? How? | ||
| How are employees hired and trained? | ||
| Does the provider require criminal record background checks and communicable disease screens for its employees? |
| Provider 1 | Provider 2 | |
| What is the procedure for resolving issues that may arise between the patient/family and home health care staff? | ||
| Is someone available to answer questions or respond to a crisis? | ||
| Who can you call with questions or complaints? | ||
| What happens if a staff member fails to make a scheduled visit? | ||
| Will the same person visit regularly? |
| Questions to Ask References | Provider 1 | Provider 2 |
Do you frequently refer patients to this provider? |
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Are your patients/clients satisfied with the services? |
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| Do you have a contractual arrangement with this provider? | ||
| If so, are they required to meet special standards of care? |