What is home health physical therapy

Home health physical therapy encompasses a wide range of services that PTs and PTAs provide in the home.

If you practice physical therapy in a home setting, we have resources to support you.

The APTA Home Health Section is specifically dedicated to those who share a common interest in the delivery of physical therapy in the home and other alternative settings within the community.

Home health care can be cost-efficient, convenient, and as effective as the care patients get in a hospital or skilled nursing facility. Home health PTs and PTAs work one-on-one with patients in their own environment, making services completely relevant to the patient’s needs and goals.

Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance)

 and/or 

Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance)

 cover eligible home health services like these:

Usually, a home health care agency coordinates the services your doctor orders for you. The home health agency caring for you must be Medicare-certified.

Medicare doesn’t pay for:

• 24-hour-a-day care at your home
• Meals delivered to your home
• Homemaker services (like shopping, cleaning, and laundry) 

  that aren’t related to your care plan

• Custodial or personal care 

  that helps you wi

  th daily living activities (like bathing, dressing, or using the bathroom), when this is the only care you need

Who’s eligible?

All people with Part A and/or Part B who meet all of these conditions are covered:

• You must be under the care of a doctor, and you must be getting services under a plan of care created and reviewed regularly by a doctor.
• You must need, and a doctor must certify that you need, one or more of these:
  • Intermittent skilled nursing care (other than drawing blood).
  • Physical therapy, speech-language pathology, or continued occupational therapy services. These services are covered only when the services are specific, safe and an effective treatment for your condition. The amount, frequency and time period of the services needs to be reasonable, and they need to be complex or only qualified therapists can do them safely and effectively. To be eligible, either: 1) your condition must be expected to improve in a reasonable and generally predictable period of time, or 2) you need a skilled therapist to safely and effectively make a maintenance program for your condition, or 3) you need a skilled therapist to safely and effectively do maintenance therapy for your condition.
• You must be homebound, and a doctor must certify that you’re homebound.

You’re not eligible for the home health benefit if you need more than part-time or “intermittent” skilled nursing care. You may leave home for medical treatment or short, infrequent absences for non-medical reasons, like attending religious services. You can still get home health care if you attend adult day care.

 

What Is Home Health Physical Therapy?

Staying within the comfort of your own home while still receiving the care that you need can be a boon for some individuals. Whether there are challenges with transportation to a remote therapy location or whether physical activity is difficult, it’s good to know that there are home health physical therapy options available to meet your needs from the professionals at Santé. There is a wide range of benefits to physical therapy, and having the flexibility provided by receiving this care within your own home means that it is more available for those who need it most.

What is Home Health Physical Therapy?

In-home physical therapy occurs when a therapist visits your home to provide PT services to aid in healing or rehabilitation. Patients who find home health physical therapy beneficial include those who are bedridden with acute or severe risks to their health, individuals with limited mobility or those who simply desire to receive these beneficial services within their home instead of traveling to a separate location.

Benefits of Receiving Physical Therapy at Home

Depending on the type of physical therapy that you are receiving, it can be extremely strenuous and stressful. Completing your activities within your personal environment may allow you to relax and reap the greatest benefits from your work with a physical therapist. Post-surgical conditions such as stroke, hip or knee replacement, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson’s disease are only a few of the conditions that often derive benefits from ongoing support from a licensed and trusted physical therapist who is able to provide services within the home. Physical therapy has been shown to improve mobility, enhance strength and improve overall endurance in individuals.

At Santé, we believe in providing the support that you or your loved ones need at each stage of your healthcare journey. From short-term rehabilitation services to physical therapy delivered by licensed home health professionals, our services are targeted at improving our patients’ overall quality and enjoyment of life. Contact us today at 480-563-2402 to speak to a care professional and see if home health physical therapy is right for you or your loved ones.

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If you have a problem that results in pain or loss of functional mobility, you may benefit from the skilled services of a physical therapist. Your therapy will be focused on helping you restore normal mobility so you can get back to the things you enjoy.

Stígur Már Karlsson / Heimsmyndir / Getty Images

Physical therapy care may be provided in a variety of different settings. Obviously, if you are hospitalized, your therapy may be provided by a physical therapist who works at the hospital. If you require sports therapy, you may go to an outpatient PT clinic.

Some patients have difficulty leaving the house to go to physical therapy. These people may still enjoy the benefits of physical therapy in their home. A physical therapist may come to their house to work with them to restore normal functional mobility.

So what is in-home physical therapy, who how might you benefit from PT in your home?

What Is Home-Care PT?

Home-care physical therapy occurs when a physical therapist comes to your home to provide rehabilitation services. This type of service is reserved for patients who are unable to leave the house to attend PT. This can occur for a variety of reasons, including:

• Your condition is acute or severe and leaving the home presents a health risk
• Your functional mobility is limited and you cannot travel to therapy
• You lack adequate transportation or access to transportation to get to your physical therapy
• You simply desire a private PT session in your home

Most physical therapy services in the United States are covered by insurance, and certain rules apply to home-care physical therapy to be covered by your insurance carrier.

For most insurance plans, physical therapy in your home will be a covered service if you are able to demonstrate significant barriers to you leaving the house. These barriers may be due to your injury or illness or due to your inability to travel.

If you choose to have PT at home just because it is convenient for you, your insurance company may not cover the service and you will have to pay for the therapy yourself.

How Do You Get In-Home PT?

If you suffer an injury or illness that limits your ability to move around normally, you may benefit from PT. And if you cannot leave the house, home-care physical therapy may be the best option.

Most patients who receive home-care physical therapy are referred to the service by their healthcare provider. Your healthcare provider can make the referral to a local visiting nurse service that offers physical therapy, and he or she can attest that home services are medically necessary. This medical necessity report will likely also state that home-care physical therapy is needed because you are unable to leave the house due to your condition or circumstances.

If you feel you may benefit from physical therapy at home, you can also call your local physical therapy clinic or visiting nurse association. Those organizations can help you navigate the pathway to receiving home-care PT.

Who Can Benefit From It?

So how do you know if you can benefit from home-care physical therapy? In general, if you have any problem that results in a loss of functional mobility, you may benefit from working with a physical therapist. And if you are having difficulty leaving the house, a PT can come to your home. Conditions that may require home-care physical therapy may include:

If you have a problem that keeps you from moving normally and if it is burdensome to leave your home for therapy treatment, you may benefit from having your rehab in your home.

What If I Don’t Qualify?

Sometimes, patients want to have home-care physical therapy, but their insurance company denies coverage. This may happen if your insurance company determines that your condition does not warrant in-home physical therapy. It may also occur if you have not proven that you are unable to leave your home or if leaving your home for PT presents a significant burden.

If home-care services are denied, you may have a right to appeal. Call your insurance company and ask about an appeals process. You may also wish to call your healthcare provider’s office to explain your situation. Your healthcare provider may be able to help you navigate the appeals process.

If you do not qualify for home-care PT, you can attend physical therapy at a local outpatient clinic. Of course, you will have to travel to the clinic for treatment. Your outpatient physical therapist should be able to provide you with home exercises to do in order to limit your trips to their facility for rehab.

You may also wish to simply pay a private home-care physical therapist to come to your house for therapy if you do not qualify for services. However, this option may be financially burdensome.

Is In-Home PT Effective?

Many people wonder if home-care physical therapy is effective. Why? Because many believe that you need expensive, heavy equipment and exercise tools to engage in an effective rehab program. This is not necessarily true. Your home-care physical therapist is trained to utilize available resources to maximize your rehab experience. He or she can also bring light equipment to your home to ensure you get the most out of your physical therapy.

A 2016 study published in the journal Orthopaedic Nursing examined the functional outcome of patients after total knee replacement surgery. Some of the patients in the study had home-care physical therapy followed by outpatient PT, while other patients attended outpatient PT only. The authors of the study found no difference between the two groups when looking at function and range of motion (ROM) measurements. Having PT at home after knee replacement did not provide significant benefit, but it also did not contribute to a negative outcome.

Another small study found that patients who suffered upper extremity hemiparesis and weakness after a stroke had an improved outcome and satisfaction with outcome after receiving in-home therapy services. This study only included six patients, so it is not considered very powerful. Still, it indicates that there may be a positive benefit to home-care physical therapy.

While having home physical therapy, you will hopefully get better. As your condition improves, your functional mobility may improve, and you may be able to start leaving the home regularly. If this happens, your home-care physical therapist may discontinue in-home services. At that time, you may continue your rehab in an outpatient PT facility.

A Word From Verywell

Working with a physical therapist after illness, injury, or surgery can help you recover full functional mobility. This can allow you to return to your normal work and recreational activities. Sometimes, your injury or your personal circumstances may prevent you from safely leaving your home to attend physical therapy. If this is the case, you may benefit from home-care physical therapy. Working hard at home with your PT can help you have a positive outcome to regain maximal functional mobility.