Home Health Care
Home health care agencies can provide skilled nursing; nurses’ aides; physical, speech, respiratory, and occupational therapy; social services; and other health services while you are homebound. Many provide psychiatric nursing services, including medication monitoring, family education in behavior management, and some counseling. Some agencies provide “high-tech” nursing: home infusion (intravenous nutrition, blood products, rehydration, medications and TPN, and pain management) and, in some cases, ventilators or other types of respiratory therapy. Some offer specialized cardiac nursing. Many agencies offer hospice programs for persons who are in the last stages of terminal illness; some, but not all, hospice programs are Medicare-certified.
A physician must prescribe these services, but the patient has the right to choose the provider. Before making arrangements, be sure that an agency provides the services that the patient needs. Medicare, TennCare, private insurance, or private pay; some long-term-care insurance pays for services. Call Medicare, 1-800-633-4227, if you have questions about or problems with Medicare’s coverage of home health care.
Medicare reports information on the quality of home health care to help you choose high-quality health care. Visit www.medicare.gov or call 1-800-633-4227 for a comparison chart of these services. When you hire an individual or company to come onto your property or into your home, you take on a certain amount of risk, as does the person you’re hiring. See the Action Guide for a list of questions to ask when hiring an in-home service.
Many of these agencies also provide private-duty nurses, sitters, light housekeeping, and, in some cases, live-in help or 24-hour care (see Live-In Help for description); these services do not require a physician’s order, and most are private pay. Some long-term-care insurance covers the cost for patients who have a medical diagnosis that requires the service. Some agencies offer personal care (bathing, hair care, more). See also Homemakers, Sitters & In-Home Services.
Amedisys Home Health Care & Hospice
688-7500
1420 Dutch Valley Road, 37918
» website
Camelia Home Health Priority Division
584-4010
1700 Liberty Street, 37921
Careall Home Care Services
558-9988
118 Mabry Hood Road, Suite 100, 37922
» website
Caris Healthcare
694-4848
9041 Executive Park Drive, Suite 212, 37923
Hospice only.
» website
Clinch River Home Health
687-7070
401 Sulphur Springs Road, Clinton, 37717
» website
Covenant Homecare
374-0600
3001 Lake Brook Boulevard, Suite 101, 37909
» website
Gentiva Health Services
584-3133
6223 Highland Place Way, Suite 101, 37919
» website
Girling Health Care
690-7767
320 N. Cedar Bluff Road, Suite 360, 37923
» website
Intrepid USA Healthcare Services
531-1415
114 S. David Lane, 37922
» website
Maxim Healthcare Services
212-0071
7417 Kingston Pike, Suite 105, 37919
» website
Mercy Homecare Services
545-3500
a member of Mercy Health Partners
4127 East Emory Road, 37938
» website
NHC Homecare
539-0242
9000 Executive Park Drive, Suite A-205, 37923
» website
Quality Home Health
531-0016
9333 Parkwest Boulevard, Suite 101, 37923
» website
UT Home Care Services
544-6200
2270 Sutherland Avenue, Suite 101, 37919
» website
