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Resources - FAQs

1. What experience does Home Life have?

Incorporated in 2007, Home Life Healthcare has been serving homebound and chronically ill Medicare and Medicaid patients after obtaining a skilled care license with the Illinois Department of Health in 2008. In 2010, Home Life was initially accredited with The Joint Commission and was granted Medicare Licensure. In 2011, we expanded our services to include Home Care. In October of 2013, we contracted with the Illinois Department of Aging (IDoA) thru Community Care Program to provide caregiver services to patients accessing “waiver” program. As of July 2014, we have been accepted to provide services for the Department of Rehabilitation Services (DRS) program.

 

2Who does Home Life serve?

Home Life Healthcare happily serves patients in Cook, Dupage, Lake and Will Counties with no restriction. We also provide limited coverage in Kane, McKenry, Dekalb, Winnebago and Kankakee counties. We currently do not serve patients in Indiana.

 

3. Does Home Life take patients with Medicare/Medicaid/Pending Eligibility?

Yes, we accept Medicare and Medicaid as well as MCO’s managing MMAI and ICP’s including BCBS, Illinicare, Cigna-Healthsprings, Humana, Meridian and Aetna

 

4. Home Life Language Proficiency?

Our nurses currently serve patients who speak English, Spanish, Tagalog, Gujarati and Hindi. We can accommodate an additional 117 languages using interpretation services through press2connect (EMRS).

 

5. Does Home Life provide medical equipment & supplies?

We coordinate medical supplies with a 24-48 hour turnaround depending on the Availability of patient records. We subcontract DME supplies and help insure that equipment is delivered in a timely and professional manner for initial referrals and existing patients.

 

6. Does Home Life Provide Medication Management?

We coordinate free delivery of medication within 24-48 hours of medication request. The majority of our patients receive their meds on the same day.

 

7. What kind of patient education is provided?

Home Life provides ongoing patient education including disease process management, fall pr evention, mobility training, and medication management. We are happy to visit the patient at the hospital prior to discharge to help with their transition to home, provided, we are notified in a timely manner.

 

8. What is Home Life’s ability to work with pediatric patients?

We do not work with pediatric patients at this time.

 

9. What is Home Life’s ability to work with behavioral health issues?

As part of the patient co-morbidity, we will happily take patients with limited behavioral issues such as Dementia, Alzheimer’s, Depression, Anxiety and Schizophrenia. We are unable to provide psychotherapy intervention. We will monitor medication compliance.

 

10. When is Home Life available?

We are happy to open patient cases anytime including weekends. We are available 24/7 and provide 24 hour on call nursing support including weekends and holidays.

 

11. Does Home Life provide continuity of care?

At Home Life we pride ourselves on providing thorough continuity of care by giving a Press2Connect (Emergency Home Response Services – EHRS) device to every patient who wants one. Patients utilizing our Press2Connect (EHRS) service have access to 24/7 phone support to assist with any patient concerns from ordering a pizza to medical care, Press2Connect will facilitate immediate connection to Home Life Healthcare, pharmacy and PCP as well as a nurse and/or emergency response services as needed. Please know that we can immediately speak with Spanish speaking patients and can accommodate an additional 117 languages.

 

12. Does Home Life communicate with my Primary Care provider?

All significant changes in a patient’s status are reported to the PCP or their designee via phone call, fax, email or real-time digital smart device updates based on the PCP’s preference. A 60-day summary will be provided for continuity of care.

 

13. Is your staff available 24 hours for patient emergencies?

Yes, we are available 24/7 for patient emergencies.

 

14. What are Home Life’s Quality Improvement Standards & mechanism for ensuring quality of care?

Exceptional patient care and services is our top priority at Home Life. To this end, we conduct on-going customer service training with our nursing and support staff. We utilize a third party vendor to accommodate multiply languages and ensure unbiased responses. We conduct patient surveys and a Quality Review of patient outcomes to determine any decline in care. If a decline in care is accessed, an action plan is created to improve care and ensure exceptional customer care.

 

15. What is the grievance and complaint policy and mechanism of response?

Agency clients are provided with written information about how to address their concerns and questions related to their care. While every effort is made to provide quality services that meet the expectation of clients and their families, occasions may rise in which client/family may be dissatisfied with an aspect of service. All grievances will be addressed by the department director or his/her designee and response made to the complaint within seven (7) calendar days of receipt. If the grievance is one that will take longer than seven (7) calendar days to investigate and resolve, the director will contact the complainant within that time frame to let him/her know the grievance has been received and is being investigated, and that the responsible person will report back within thirty (30) calendar days with a resolution of the grievance. In the Event that the department director is not available, his/her designee is responsible for following up on the grievance within this established time frame. Evert effort will be made to review and respond within seven (7) calendar days, but no longer than thirty (30) calendar days. All persons with a grievance will receive a written notice of the investigation review, which will include the name of the contact person, steps taken to investigate the grievance, the result of the process and the date of completion. A grievance is considered resolved when the client is satisfied with the actions taken on their behalf. There may be situations when the agency has taken appropriate and reasonable actions on the client’s behalf to resolve the grievance and the client remains unsatisfied with the agency’s actions. In this situation, the agency may consider the grievance closed for the purpose of these requirements.

 

16. What is Home Life’s Training Programs/Specialty Skills/Credentials that are maintained?

Home Life Provides training, specialty skills and credentials for infusion therapy, congestive heart failure and wound care (we subcontract with wound and ostomy certified nurse practitioners)

 

17. How does Home Life comply for OIG?

All Home Life employees read and sign the integrity and compliance manual. Recruiting good employees is our top priority. We check all employees in the State and Federal OIG websites prior to hire. We have also implemented Electronic Visit Verification.

 

18. Can a family member be my Home Care Aide?

You may choose a family member or friend to be your Home Care Aide as long as they are not your Power of Attorney or legal guardian. Home Life Healthcare requires all Home Care Aides to complete the hiring process regardless of their relation to a client. If you would like a family member to provide your home care services they may contact the agency to get started.

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19. Do Home Care Aides have to complete training?

Yes. All Home Care Aides must complete at least 24 hours of State mandated training upon hire. Home Care Aides are also required to complete 12 hours of training each year. Training covers topics as outlined by Illinois Department on Aging.

 

 

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