You or a family member may benefit from home care if you are:

• Recovering from a recent illness, surgery, or hospitalization.
• Recently discharged from a nursing home or hospital stay but need additional care.
• ln need of education regarding your health problem and how to manage your disease effectively.
• Terminally ill and wish to receive end-of-life care in your home.
• ln need of assistance in order to live independently at home and to enhance the quality of life at home.

Medicare, commercial insurance, and HMOs typically cover certified home care services when the criteria are met.  Altruity is a Medicare provider of services.

In order to receive home health care services under Medicare, the patient must require skilled, intermittent nursing care, physical therapy, or speech therapy, have a physician’s order for home health care, and be essentially homebound.  Medicare considers a person to be homebound if leaving the home would require a considerable and taxing effort and if s/he has a condition due to an illness or injury which restricts the ability to leave home except with the aid of devices such as crutches, canes, wheelchairs, walkers, special transportation, or assistance of another person.  Homebound patients may leave their home if absences from the home are infrequent or for periods of relatively short duration, or for the purpose of receiving medical treatment.

The home care team is interdisciplinary and usually includes nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, social workers, registered dietitians, and home health aides.

Yes, Altruity Home Health is a Medicare/AHCCCS-certified home health agency and provides skilled, intermittent nursing and therapy visits.

Yes, Alturity Home Health has brochures and an admission packet which includes and describes Patient’s Bill of Rights, emergency plan, confidentiality, our services, admission criteria, mission and philosophy, Medicare guidelines, Advance Directives/Durable Power of Attorney, and safety information.

Altruity Home Health performs a thorough screening on each patient care employee including:

• Professional license check, if applicable
• Criminal background check
• Driver license check
• Business and personal references required

All patient care employees are fully licensed or certified, as well as insured, bonded, and CPR-certified.  Each employee goes through an extensive orientation and training program upon hire and is assigned to a supervisor who closely monitors the employee’ s progress.

All patients’ home health care needs are evaluated during the first visit by a RN or therapist.  Under the direction of the patient’s physician and with input from the patient and family members, an individualized care plan is initiated.  The care plan is continually assessed and updated as the patient’s needs change and as progress is made.  All of this is documented in the patient’s chart.

Education is a very large part of our services.  All patients are given educational guidance that deal with the diagnosis that they are receiving home health services for.  Each visit the patient is taught in a method to assist patients care for themselves.  The care plan is made in conjunction with the patient and family and is discussed thoroughly.  Altruity’s staff ensures the family and patient understand the care that will be provided, how often, etc.  Typical topics addressed are: medication safety, disease management, emergency procedures, community resources, nutrition, etc.

Yes, every employee has a clinical supervisor that oversees the care patients are receiving.  All staff are evaluated at least annually by their supervisor during a home visit.  Our clinical supervisors are always available to our staff and patients for questions or help.

Altruity Home Health has a patient concern procedure in place which is spelled out in the admission packet the patient receives upon admission to our agency.

An emergency plan is made and thoroughly discussed with the patient and family during the first visit and is posted in the home and included in the care plan.  This plan is reviewed frequently with the patient and family during the course of our care in the home.  An RN is on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to handle questions, problems, etc.  However, Altruity Home Health is not an emergency service.