Home Health Services include nursing care, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech therapy provided to an individual to enable him/her to remain in the community. The services must be ordered by a primary physician. Services can be purchased by the AAA only from Medicare-certified home health agencies, and only after all other funding sources have been exhausted. A copy of the appropriate certification must be submitted with the proposal.

        Application for home health services will be made directly to the AAA. The AAA will retain responsibility for the initial assessment of need through its Assessment Unit.

        All clients will receive a priority rating at the time of intake. In cases where resources do not permit immediate service delivery to all persons in need, the AAA will use this priority ranking to determine the order in which clients will be served. The original rating may be revised as a result of subsequent needs assessment(s).

        Services delivered must be in accordance with details provided in the Consumer Care Plan, determined by the AAA. Provider will not be permitted to deviate from this care plan without prior authorization. Personnel providing the service must be licensed to practice in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and licenses must be available to AAA upon request. It is required that the Provider obtain appropriate orders from the consumer’s physician and that these orders be forwarded to the AAA prior to the initiation of service.

        The home health provider must maintain a standardized record-keeping system. The system must ensure uniformity and consistency in documentation of the service provision, the consumer’s response to the service, and other observations made of the consumer. Consumer information must be maintained in a confidential manner with a separate record for each consumer. The record must include:

        -the physician’s order

        -the AAA Service Authorization form

        -the plan of care established by the nurse and/or therapist

        -documentation of each visit made to the client (including changes in client’s condition)

ACTIVITIES

        As Medicare-certified providers, agencies providing home health services must meet the requirements for training and supervision as established in regulation