home health agency

home health agency,

an organization that provides health care in the home. Medicare certification for a home health agency in the United States requires provision of skilled nursing services and at least one additional therapeutic service.

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agency [a´jen-se]

an organization that performs actions for other people, particularly of a service nature.

home health agency a public agency or private organization that is primarily engaged in providing skilled or paraprofessional home health care to individuals in out-of-hospital settings, such as private homes, boarding homes, hospices, shelters, and so on. Its policies must be established and supervised by professional personnel, including one or more physicians and one or more registered nurses. It must maintain clinical records on all patients. In states with laws licensing such agencies, it must be licensed pursuant to such laws and approved as meeting the standards established for such licensing. It must also meet certain other requirements as specified in the Social Security Act, section 1861 (o).

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home health agency,

n an organization that provides health care in the home. Medicare certification for a home health agency depends on the providing of skilled nursing services and of at least one additional therapeutic service, usually physical or occupational therapy.