Home Health Services
Services and Facilities
UPMC HomeCare encompasses an entire network of in-home services that can contribute to a patient's overall recovery. Professional staff cares for patients of all ages, from newborns to older adults. Services are available in Allegheny County and 30 other western Pennsylvania counties:
Care Management Services
When your doctor orders any home care service for you, he or she develops a detailed plan of care. This plan includes information about you and your condition, such as your diagnosis, x-ray and lab test results, allergies, and ability to carry out activities of daily living. The plan also lists the doctor's orders as they apply to a specific home care service and treatment goals.
Hospital Discharge Planning
Patients who have been hospitalized for an injury, illness, or a chronic condition often need follow-up medical care at home. For example, a doctor may prescribe home care services such as a special pressurized mattress, home chemotherapy, or speech therapy. Sometimes this care is so specialized that family and friends cannot help out. An in-home health network such as UPMC HomeCare can provide expert medical care when and where you need it most.
While you are in the hospital, your doctor, nurse, discharge planner, case manager, or social worker can help you arrange in-home care. Your doctor will prescribe home care services based on your condition, needs, and circumstances.
Your discharge team must provide detailed information about any services they arrange, including the names, addresses, and phone numbers of service providers. The team's goal is to make the transition from hospital to home as smooth as possible.
Although your discharge team can make recommendations about which home care provider to use, the final decision is up to you. Medicare requires health care professionals to tell their patients about all of the choices available to them.
Home Health
Patients who recently have been discharged from a hospital might benefit from a home health program. In addition, patients with short-term or chronic illnesses might need specialized care but do not need to be hospitalized. Home health services are designed to help patients avoid hospital readmission following surgery or illness, minimize complications, and help the patient recover as quickly as possible.
UPMC HomeCare's in-home health services include specialty nursing care; physical, occupational, and speech therapies; and help from other professionals such as aides, social workers, and nutritionists:
- Specialty nursing care
- Cardiovascular (heart)
- Pulmonary (lung)
- Behavioral health
- Oncology (cancer)
- Gerontology (older adults)
- Orthopaedic and rehabilitative care
- Obstetrics (new mothers and infants)
- Pediatrics (children)
- Wound care
- Home health aides
- Medical social services
- Nutrition services
- Rehabilitation
- Physical
- Occupational
- Speech
Because UPMC's home health services are part of a network of care, other needed services (such as infusion medications and home medical equipment) can be easily integrated into the patient's overall care plan.
Care Coordination Services
UPMC client-centered care coordination focuses on the wishes and desires of the client as well as on their needs. Care coordination involves the development of a care plan for the client, engaging the client in decisions with the direction of their care, and providing support and peace of mind to family members by helping the client to safely live independently for as long as possible. Care coordination benefits the client, family members, and caregivers by providing a consistent single plan of care, even when multiple geriatric health care team members are involved. Also, communication is improved among the health care team members, the client, and the family members.
The UPMC Staying-At-Home program is a client-centered care coordination program offered to older adults (clients) living in their own home, in an assisted living facility or in a retirement community in Allegheny County. The program utilizes a proactive preventive approach to geriatric care, which provides optimal care for all clients, regardless of health or debility. The Staying-At-Home program offers two levels of care each for a monthly fee.
Level I- Concierge Care
In this level of care, a community resource specialist provides information about and referrals to programs and services that meet the client’s needs. A care coordinator visits the client each year to complete a comprehensive in-home assessment, recommend ways to help the client maintain independence in his or her own home, and update the client’s health care diary, which records all health information in one place.
Level II- Coordinated Care
In this level of care, a care coordinator completes an assessment twice each year to develop a care plan in partnership with the client, visits the client each month, and coordinates care by telephone more frequently. A care coordinator will also coordinate the client’s care needs with daily tasks including: appointments, transportation, housekeeping, grocery shopping, and bathing.
For those who meet the income criteria, UPMC offers the same geriatric care coordination program called Living-At-Home. As an alternative to the Staying-At-Home program, it provides free, ongoing in-home care for adults age 70 and older to help them live independently as long as possible. Living-At-Home is offered in the following neighborhoods:
- Arlington
- Allentown
- Beltzhoover
- Bloomfield
- Greenfield
- Hazelwood
- Hill District
- Knoxville
- Lawrenceville
- Mt. Oliver
- Oakland
- Squirrel Hill
- South Side
For more information on the UPMC Staying-At-Home and Living-At-Home programs, call 1-866-430-8742.
Private Duty Nursing
The goal of UPMC VNA Children’s at Home is to help families care for their child when they are not available to provide special care. UPMC Children’s at Home coordinates extended in-home nursing care from a few hours a day to 16 hours per day. One-on-one private duty nursing care is provided by a registered nurse, a licensed practical nurse, or a nurse aide. UPMC VNA Children’s at Home can coordinate these private duty services for your child with your doctor and insurance company.
Parents are not responsible for any expenses related to private duty nursing care, as long as their doctor and insurance company approve the services. Private duty nursing staff provides medically necessary care. Services provided through the insurance company are limited to your needs and schedule as determined by the physician’s request. The services can also be private pay, which at that time neither your doctor nor your insurance company determines the amount of help you can receive. With private pay, you decide the level of care you want, how much time you need, and what days the nurse will help you.
Before service begins, a registered nurse meets with the child and family to determine the care needed and develop a plan of care. UPMC VNA Children’s at Home coordinates the following types of private duty nursing services:
Skilled Private Duty Nursing
Professional Nurses and Licensed Practical Nurses:
- Provide care for patients with advanced technology equipment, such as respirators and intravenous therapies
- Administer medications, check blood sugars, provide wound care, give injections, monitor changes in medical status, and provide all skilled nursing services as well as all levels of care performed by the non-skilled private duty
Non-Skilled Private Duty Nursing
Certified nursing assistants:
- Personal care, meal preparation, light cooking and cleaning, and other daily living activities.
- Although they are not able to administer medications, they can remind the person that it is time to take a dose.
Home Medical Equipment
Home medical equipment — such as a wheelchair, hospital bed, or oxygen system — is sometimes essential to a patient's recovery or independence. UPMC HomeCare provides experienced professionals and services, the latest products and technologies (including unique items that other companies don't stock), and delivery and set-up:
- Respiratory therapy
- Therapists
- Oxygen therapy
- Adult and pediatric ventilation
- Apnea monitoring
- Durable medical equipment (DME) and supplies
- Bathroom safety products
- Commodes and shower chairs
- Hospital beds
- Specialty mattresses and support surfaces
- Patient lifts
- Wheelchairs
- Walkers and canes
- Blood glucose monitors
- Diabetes supplies
- Nebulizers
- Rehabilitation specialty services
- Certified rehabilitation technology specialists
- High-strength, ultra-light, and power wheelchairs
- Scooters
- Custom seats
- Tilt and recline systems
- Equipment modification and repair
With locations throughout western Pennsylvania, UPMC HomeCare serves patients in rural and metropolitan areas. Deliveries are scheduled Monday through Saturday during business hours as well as around-the-clock in emergencies. Highly qualified staff assemble and provide clear instruction, giving you and your caregiver the know-how to use and care for equipment correctly and safely. Staff regularly follow up to make sure each patient is following the doctor's prescribed therapy plan. They also work closely with your doctor, so any changes in your condition can be quickly and easily addressed.
Home Infusion
Home infusion encompasses far more than basic antibiotic therapy. It includes complex intravenous (IV) therapies such as nutrition, pain management, and other specialized regimens:
- Antibiotic therapy
- Catheter care
- Chelation therapy
- Chemotherapy
- Congestive heart failure management
- Heparin therapy
- Epogen therapy
- Hemophilia services
- HIV-related therapies
- Immune globuline therapy
- Pain management
- Human growth hormone therapy
- Transfusion services
- Enteral therapy
- Total parenteral nutrition
UPMC HomeCare's infusion partner is Chartwell Pennsylvania, which administers home infusion services, medications, staffing, and equipment. Experienced IV nurses work with your doctor to coordinate your treatment, monitor your progress, report any problems or complications, and make any adjustments based on your doctor's orders.