Harbor:Home Health

Order 'Home Health' then select 'service' from drop down, and in order comments write description of need.

• “home wound care” – describe wound, give patient enough supplies for 1 week, place DME order for wound care supplies and message Yvonne Walker. Does not necessarily need wound care eval, ED provider can write order for specific dressing and frequency. RN will come once a day at most, and teach family/caregiver how to do it. (Example, wet*to*dry TID).
• “home health PT” or “home health OT” – need weight bearing status, write “evaluation and treatment” in comments, don’t need formal PT eval, if you think patient is unsteady, may be fall risk
• “home hospice” * social worker may give you guidance on who needs to stay for obs placement into hospice facility vs home. Agencies can come out really quick and enroll. They can arrange for all DME, meds, etc.
• “home safety eval” – nurse check in, check home environment, patient needs to be at home during eval. Concern about overall ability to function at home, but not need around the clock care. Patients taking new meds w/ potential side effects, fall risk, cognitive decline but not want to be placed. Suggestions about fall risks (furniture, rugs).
• “Home infusion” for IV antibiotics can only be written by ID and usually only available during business hours. So will need ID consult to antibiotics fellow p0343. Regarding PICC line vs peripheral it all depends on the length of the IV antibiotics, the type of IV antibiotics and if there are contraindications for a PICC line eg. ESRD on dialysis in order to save the venous access.
• “Home health nurse eval” – new forms of meds, like insulin trouble shooting sliding scale, new anticoagulation, etc.
• Consider also messaging the PCP or CCC to help follow up on order.

• Don’t have to call, but Home Health nurses are available during business hours if questions. Home health office x68450 Mon*Fri 8a – 530p, no weekends or holidays.
• Can leave voicemail afterhours, and they will follow up. They will also check your notes for details. If there are questions, they may send you a message in Message Center.
• Home health coordinates with health plan, DHS or OOP to initiate process. Our HH nurses will do the coordination for uninsured patients. If the order goes in after hours or on a weekend/holiday, it will be arranged the following business day and a note will be placed into the chart with the agency chosen, first anticipated date of service, etc.
• Afterhours, UR can also help call case manager for OOP plans to initiate process for follow up.

• Harbor:Main