Customer Reviews

Handbook of Home Health Standards and Documentation Guidelines for Reimbursement, 4th Edition

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Home health regulations have always been lengthy and murky to the average nurse. This small but concise book gets to the bottom line clearly and quickly. Questions such as maximum hours of weekly coverage and homebound requirements are clearly discussed. An essential resource book for team teaching in a home health agency. A great car guide to the nurse making home visits. I have ordered this book 3 or 4 times over the last 10 years of home health nursing experience. Reach for this book first if you are a new home health nurse in a certified agency - you will not regret it.

I have the 4th edition (at this time is the most recent edition in print) and as a psych home care nurse, this little, portable wealth of knowledge has helped me validate to management, as well as to public health and other surveyors, the range in situations that qualify "homebound status" for psychiatric patients. Throughout the book there are samples provided to support a variety of situations that help the nurse better understand, and therefore more accurately report, on each sector of the OASIS forms. Medicare regulations are explained in detail, and I learned information that I had not known in the 14 years I have been doing mental health home care nursing. The manual provides a history and background of homecare, its evolution, provides an overview of documentaion, including the importance of coding, and its significance in home care. Also, valuable tips on improving the nursing visit, setting achievable goals, managing the case, and the guidelines for care for all the home care disciplines, are provided, so the nurse can be knowledgable regarding the roles of the other disciplines. There is a great resource section at the end of the book, and home care definitions, roles, and abbreviations are delineated in this manual as well. All home care codes are listed.

With the often-confusing regulations and data gathering tools out there, at least we on the front lines have this portable manual to help us sort out our assessments and evaluations into the accurate coding and leveling criteria that supports what we do, what we observe, and allows for the appropriate revenue to support the levels of care our patients require. As OASIS data-gathering evolves, newer editions will be needed to keep up with the miriad of changes that will ensue, but at least here is a standard we can all make good use of, and I am willing to bet every nurse, from novice to manager, will find something in this manual that was not known or delineated as well to them in the past.

This manual would also make a wonderful teaching tool for nursing students. They may as well learn early on how intricate the data-gathering tools are in the real working world. Accurate notations on the OASIS forms can either make or break a case, not only regarding reimbursement, but as to whether the levels of care, and variety of disciplines, that you feel are needed, are allowed to provide services to your patient. Hasty and inaccurate translation of evaluations and assessments onto the OASIS forms results in inability to justify to Medicare that the levels of intervention you are requesting are appropriate.

I have always used this handbook to train new home care nurses. It's compact enough to fit into their nursing bag and tote along on admissions. Be sure to order one for each nurse and therapist or they will get into a tug of war over them

I love this book because, being in the home health industry you have to know what you're charting. If charting is lacking then you will not get the full reimbursement that you are entitled to. Thanks alot.

A MUST resource guide for all nurses who work in the Home Health industry.

I NEED THIS BOOK TO HELP ME WITH MY HOME CARE PATIENT AND IT WAS AS ADVERTIZED A GREAT BOOK AND HANDED FOR DOING CARE PLANS

This book was recieved quickly. I founds the book to be very informative and useful. I found the answers to several of my questions I had. I will keep the book close to use for a reference and I am sure I will use it a lot. Thanks.

i had the early verison and used it for making my care plan. the content is now updated and still valuable.

The initial shipping did not specify it would take up to 3 weeks to receive which I was not happy about but then once I waited and still did not receive book I contacted the bookstore and though there was an attempt to find another book to send me, there was no longer any available copies and without any problems got my money back right away. I however ended up without a book.