Resources for Health Care Workers

Does My Patient Qualify for Home Health or Hospice Care?

Download these quick reference guides to see if your patient qualifies for home health care or hospice services:

ED U-Turn Helps Prevents Avoidable Hospital Readmissions

UPMC Home Healthcare teams work with Emergency Department (ED) staff on ED U-Turn.

ED U-Turn provides follow-up care to patients at high risk for readmission within 24 hours of discharge from the ED. We fast-track chosen patients for home health care.

Benefits of ED U-Turn:

• Reduced risks linked with a hospital stay.
• Reliable and timely follow-up care at home to address needs and ensure home safety.
• Streamlined handoff to the patient's PCP for short-term oversight.
• Prevents avoidable readmissions and related financial fines.
• Cost savings to patients (co-pays).
• Improved bed capacity at hospitals.

How do I know if I can refer my patient to ED U-Turn?

To refer patients for ED U-Turn, they must have:

• Home health care qualifying issues (skilled need and homebound status) with a high risk of readmission, including:
• Health problems such as COPD, CHF, diabetes, falls, cellulitis, DVT, pain, and wounds.
• Considered for an observation admission (instead of admission).
• Returning to the ED within seven days of inpatient discharge.
• A designated PCP.
• Insurance eligibility. (ED U-Turn does not accept MA-pending and VA insurance because of the verification process time. We do accept them for home health referrals.)