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COVID-19 Resources for patients & families

COVID-19 PREPAREDNESS

Stay-at-home orders do not apply to healthcare workers providing non-elective procedures.

We’re here & continuing to care for patients every day.

People have a variety of healthcare needs that don’t disappear during a pandemic. Many patients are minimizing trips to their doctor’s office or the hospital, but you may still need care – and recent rule clarifications may mean you’re eligible to get that care at home.

Our clinicians are trained for times like these. Home is often the safest place to receive needed care because there is less potential to be exposed to COVID-19 and other community infectious diseases. From skilled nursing and home health aides to physical, speech and occupational therapy, you may be able to receive the care you need in the comfort and convenience of home.

You May Now Be Eligible for Home Health

People must be “homebound” to be eligible for home health care. Recent government rule clarifications have expanded the definition of homebound during the public health emergency. You may be eligible for home health care if:

  • You’re under the care of a physician who orders home health for you and oversees your plan of care;
  • You need part-time or intermittent skilled care, such as nursing care, speech therapy, occupational therapy or physical therapy; and
  • You’re homebound, which now includes having a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19 or being at risk of severe illness from COVID-19 because:
  • You’re age 65+
  • You’re any age and have an underlying medical condition such as chronic lung disease, moderate to severe asthma, serious heart conditions, immuno-suppression, severe obesity, diabetes, chronic kidney disease or liver disease, among others

To find out if you may be eligible for home health, call your doctor. You can also Contact us for more information.

Safety Precautions to Help Keep You and Your Family Safe

We’re taking extra safety precautions to help protect you and your family during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Here are a few examples:

  • Protective Equipment: Our care center teams wear appropriate protective equipment such as masks and gloves every time they interact with you. We’re also asking patients to wear masks during visits.
  • Screenings: Before coming to your home, your care team must complete a daily self-assessment to check for symptoms of illness. We’ll also call you and ask about any symptoms of illness and exposure to others with COVID-19.
  • Education: We provide you and your caregivers with education about proper hand hygiene, household infection control practices, how to monitor for symptoms that you need emergency help or further medical care, and more.

We have an internal emergency response team overseeing our safety precautions and are closely following guidance from the CDC and public health resources to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

What You Can Do to Stay Safe

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists several steps you can take to help protect yourself from COVID-19. We encourage you and your loved ones to take the following precautions:

  • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water aren’t available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
  • Avoid close contact with people who are sick by staying home as much as possible and keeping about 6 feet between yourself and others.
  • Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth face cover when around others.
  • Stay home when you’re sick.
  • Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

How Can In-Home Care Help You?

Home Health Care

Home health care provides skilled services for an illness, surgery or injury, wherever you call home. Our goal is to help you recover, regain your independence and become as self-sufficient as possible. Your care plan may include:

  • Skilled nursing (such as medication management, wound care and patient/caregiver education)
  • Speech therapy.
  • Occupational therapy.
  • Physical therapy.
  • Home health aides to help with dressing, bathing and other daily activities.
  • Medical social work services such as counseling and referrals to useful resources.
  • Pain management.
  • Specialized programs for heart failure, COPD and fall prevention.

Hospice

Hospice care offers those with a limited life expectancy the option of being home, and safer from exposure to community infectious diseases like COVID-19. Hospice focuses on comfort and quality of life for people with a life expectancy of six months or less. Depending on your needs and doctor’s orders, you may receive:

  • Physician services and nursing care (education, wound care, pain management)
  • Home health aides to help with bathing, dressing and other personal needs
  • Social work services such as emotional support and referrals to resources
  • Spiritual support with a chaplain
  • Support from a hospice volunteer
  • Respite care and bereavement support for loved ones

WHOLISTIC Is Here for You

If you have in-home care needs, we encourage you to reach out to learn more. Here are a few reasons WHOLISTIC is a trusted home health care provider:

  • We’re well-equipped to provide high-quality care during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • If you have an urgent need, you can call us 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
  • You’ll work with a caring team that is dedicated to your health and well-being.
  • We’ve been serving patients and families since 2018.

Safety measures for healthcare providers

We’re here for you and we continue to care for patients every day. In-home care can play an important role in getting – and keeping – patients safe at home during the COVID-19 public health emergency. With new CMS clarifications and rules and enhanced safety measures, we’re ready, equipped and up to the challenge to help you keep your most vulnerable patients safer at home.

  • We’re well-equipped to provide high-quality care during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • If you have an urgent need, you can call us 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
  • You’ll work with a caring team that is dedicated to your health and well-being.
  • We’ve been serving patients and families since 2018.

What’s New During the COVID-19 Pandemic?

  • Homebound status has been clarified to include people with a medical contraindication that increases their risk of COVID-19.
  • Two-way telehealth with audio and video is acceptable for the Face-to-Face visit.
  • Wholistic is proactively providing PPE to all our care center teams and requiring daily self-screenings.

Safety Measures to Help Protect You and Your Patients

We’re taking enhanced safety measures, based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance, to help prevent the spread of disease. For example:

  • PPE: We proactively provide PPE to all our care teams and require all staff to wear a face mask when reporting to work. Our care teams wear appropriate PPE in every patient interaction, regardless of the patient’s COVID-19 status. We also ask our patients to wear masks during visits. We’re centrally managing PPE across our 479 care centers so we can send it where needed to help stretch this valuable resource.
  • Screenings: We require employees to complete a daily self-assessment to monitor symptoms of illness such as fever, cough and shortness of breath. We’re also screening patients (and others present during the home visit) prior to each skilled visit. We ask about recent travel, symptoms of respiratory illness and exposure to others with COVID-19
  • Patient/Family Education: We provide education about proper hand hygiene, household infection control practices, and how to monitor for symptoms that indicate a need for emergency help or further medical care, among other topics.
  • Following Latest Guidance: Our multidisciplinary emergency response team has extensive experience in infectious diseases, public health and disaster response. We’re closely following guidance from the CDC and public health resources to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Expanded Access to Home Health Care

Eligibility Requirements

Homebound Status (clarified during COVID-19)

During the COVID-19 public health emergency, certain people who didn’t qualify for home health previously may now meet homebound requirements. This includes patients a physician certifies should not leave home (who have a skilled need) because they:

  • Have a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19.
  • Have a medical contraindication that increases their risk of infection. According to the CDC, examples of those at high risk of severe illness from COVID-19 include:
  1. People age 65+
  2. People of all ages with underlying medical conditions such as chronic lung disease, moderate to severe asthma, serious heart conditions, immunosuppression, severe obesity, diabetes, chronic kidney disease or liver disease, among others

Face-to-Face Encounter (related to the primary reason the patient requires home health services)

If your patient meets homebound criteria, this should be documented in the medical record and as part of the Face-to-Face encounter. Telehealth visits with two-way audio and video communication now satisfy the Face-to-Face encounter requirement.

  • Need for Part-Time or Intermittent Skilled Care
  • Patient Under Physician’s Care
  • Physician-Signed Home Health Plan of Care

Safety Measures to Help Protect You and Your Patients

Now more than ever, it’s important to work with a home health provider you can trust and coordinate care with seamlessly. Here are a few reasons Wholistic is a home health partner you can depend on through the COVID-19 pandemic:

  • Virtual care transitions, which help patients make a smooth transition from hospitals to post-acute care settings or the community and minimize the risk of re-hospitalization
  • Quick referrals and timely patient updates
  • On-call 24/7 for urgent needs
  • Safety precautions to help minimize exposure to COVID-19, including proactively providing PPE to all our care teams and a multidisciplinary Emergency Preparedness Response Team
  • Superior quality scores and evidence-based care