Answers for patients, families, and physicians

Home health care is short-term, medical care provided in your home by licensed clinicians under the direction of your doctor. It is designed to help you recover from an illness, injury, surgery, or manage a chronic condition without needing to stay in a hospital or facility.

At Saintly Home Health, this may include skilled nursing, medication management, wound care, catheter and ostomy care, physical therapy, and other medically necessary services ordered by your provider.

In general, to qualify for Medicare-covered home health services, you must:

• Be under the care of a doctor or qualified provider, and
• Need skilled, medically necessary services such as nursing or therapy, and
• Be considered “homebound” — leaving home takes considerable effort or assistance.

Every situation is unique. If you’re not sure whether you or a loved one qualifies, call us and we can review your situation and speak with your provider’s office.

You can get started in three simple steps:

• Talk with your doctor about your medical needs and ask if home health is appropriate.
• Have your doctor send a referral to Saintly Home Health by fax or secure electronic order.
• Our intake nurse will call you to verify information, insurance, and schedule your first visit.

If you’re not sure where to start, call us and we can help coordinate the referral with your provider’s office.

Saintly Home Health is based in Tempe, Arizona and serves patients in Tempe and surrounding parts of the Greater Phoenix area. Our exact service radius can vary based on staffing and clinical needs.

Please call us with your ZIP code and we’ll confirm whether your home is within our service area.

Your first visit is usually with a registered nurse or therapist. They will:

• Review your medical history, medications, and provider’s orders
• Assess your vital signs, safety in the home, and current symptoms
• Discuss your goals and what matters most to you and your family
• Create a personalized plan of care and review it with you

You and your caregiver will have time to ask questions and understand the schedule of future visits.

Visit frequency is based on your medical needs and your provider’s orders. Some patients are seen several times a week at first and then less often as they improve. Others may need ongoing, regular visits to keep a chronic condition stable.

Your visit schedule is reviewed with you and can be adjusted if your condition changes.

Saintly Home Health focuses on skilled, intermittent medical visits such as nursing and therapy ordered by a provider. We do not provide 24-hour sitters, live-in caregivers, or purely non-medical companion services at this time.

If you need help with continuous caregiving, we can share resources and suggestions for private-duty or non-medical home care agencies in the community.

If you notice new or worsening symptoms, call our office right away. We can:

• Arrange for an earlier nurse or therapist visit
• Notify your provider of changes in your condition
• Help determine if you should go to urgent care or the emergency department

In a life-threatening emergency, always call 911 first.

Yes. When eligibility criteria are met, traditional Medicare typically covers home health services at 100% of the approved amount. There is usually no copay for covered home health visits.

Coverage is always based on medical necessity and your provider’s orders. We verify benefits before starting care and explain coverage so there are no surprises.

We are currently accepting traditional Medicare patients. We are actively working on contracts with:

• Medicare Advantage plans
• AHCCCS / Medicaid and long-term care plans
• Veterans’ programs and related networks

Because contracts change over time, the best way to confirm your coverage is to call our office with your insurance card so we can check your benefits.

Many patients do not receive a bill when services are fully covered by traditional Medicare. If you are using a commercial plan, Medicare Advantage, or another payer that has copays or deductibles, we will explain any potential patient responsibility before starting care whenever possible.

To admit a patient, we typically need:

• Provider’s signed and dated orders for home health
• Face-to-face (F2F) encounter documentation within the required timeframe
• Signed plan of care / 485 (we can prepare and route for signature)
• Recent H&P, discharge summary, and medication list when available

Our team can draft F2F templates and 485s for your review to minimize work for your office.

Referrals can be sent by:

• Faxing orders and documentation to our office
• Using your usual EMR referral workflow, if we are connected
• Calling our intake line so we can securely obtain the necessary documents

Once received, we verify eligibility, contact the patient or caregiver, and update your office on admission status.

Our care model focuses on early identification of changes in condition and strong communication with the ordering provider. We support your patients by:

• Reinforcing discharge instructions and medication changes
• Providing disease-specific education and symptom monitoring
• Coordinating with your office when problems arise
• Escalating quickly when patients show warning signs

Our goal is to keep patients safely at home and out of the hospital whenever possible.

We see family and caregivers as key partners in the patient’s recovery. With the patient’s permission, we will:

• Teach you how to help with medications, wound care, or equipment when appropriate
• Review warning signs to watch for and when to call us or 911
• Explain the plan of care and upcoming visits in plain language

You can always ask questions during visits or call our office between visits.

Please call our office as soon as you know you need to cancel or reschedule. We will work with you to find another time that still keeps you safe and on track with your plan of care.