Anyone have home health care nurse visits after complications from surgery

Will keep this as short as possible. Had a picture perfect recovery from da Vinci until seven weeks. Last weekend ended up in the hospital for five days after developing an abscess and becoming septic. Came home Wednesday night and had home health care nurse come Thursday and yesterday to infuse the antibiotics through a PICC line, and teach me how. Did my own today and was fine with it. Have to do this a total of 14 days (11 more to go) before I get the PICC line out.

What I wasn't prepared for, was being told that once you're receiving home health care nursing, you're really not supposed to leave your house (except for maybe physician's appointments). They say that's the point of home health care... if you're OK enough to leave your house, you don't need a nurse coming to do things for you.

While I'm not still feeling like I really want to go anywhere, I am very aware that when I do feel like it (whether that's tomorrow or in a week from now), technically, I'm restricted, and I don't like it one bit. Today I got a little hungry and nothing we had in the house was appealing to me, but I knew if I thought of something I could run out and pick up, I really couldn't do it. At least after my hysterectomy, if I wanted to get out of the house for ten minutes by running up to the local deli (and H drove), I could.

Did any of you have this happen? If so, how did you handle it?

Home health care rules there are not that strict, generally speaking. You should be allowed to go in short errands. Medicare even covers people who drive, when they are there only support and must to obtain food, medicine and such. Absences from hime should be short in duration, and necessary. Church, drs appts, business errands are all accepted so long as thy arent frequent and longstanding. If you have medicare that should be fine. Most private jnsurances will approve home care with IV therapy. Remember this, medicare defines homebound as "difficult and taxing effort to leave home". Your post op weakness, safety risks due to weakness frim surgery, and need for assistance to leave home should more than qualify you.

Two other points, choosing not to go doesnt qualify, its if you are aafely able, so staying hime just because is pointless. Also, they should have given you a book when they admitted you. Somewhere mixed in all that mess of info is definition of homebound. Might be worth it to read it (trust me, that book may well cure your insomnia as well!)

Thanks for the recommendation to look through the info they gave me. I just did a brief, cursory look and couldn't find anything. The way I understood it is, this is a basic Medicare policy, and most insurance companies follow Medicare policies. So while the nurse told me she couldn't specifically tell me what my policy said, she said, "Just don't tell us if you do anything." I don't like that - being dishonest. Now I guess I could call up my insurance and ask them what my policy states, for them to cover home health care; I actually looked online at their website today and it gave me no information. I think the particulars of our policy could probably be found on H's human resources website because, technically, H's company's health insurance is self-funded, and **** just administers the plan. So most times to get details, we have to look at that website, as opposed to the insurance website.

	Quote:
Originally Posted by buddypurple Now I guess I could call up my insurance and ask them what my policy states, for them to cover home health care.

That is what you should do as different insurance policies may vary. It all depends on what your plan calls for. If your insurance sent the home healthcare nurse I would assume it's covered, but it is best to check in with your insurance and see what your plan covers.

I only had home healthcare one time, and that was in the mid 90's. I was too sick too leave the house so have no clue if that would've changed coverage.

IMHO, how would they know if you left the house?

Buddypurple It is a general rule for home health to be involved when IV antibiotics are prescribed mainly a nurse to reinforce teaching and depending on the med to draw labs. They usually only come about 2-3 times but for those who learn easily and have a care taker we sometimes only ask for one visit. But generally speaking home health is for those who have difficulty getting around but doesn't say you have to always be at home or can't leave your home. The issue arrises when home health goes out to the patient home and they are NEVER there.

Also, a lot of private ins will cover iv even if you arent homebound!! Still cheaper for them.

lovelifenow - I finally, after sorting through pages of literature sent home with me, found the sheet that defines homebound:

An individual is considered homebound if leaving home requires taxing effort and the help of another individual, or the use of an assistive device. It is usually due to illness or injury that an individual's ability to leave home is restricted. In general, time away from home should be of short duration and infrequent. Besides Medicare, insurance companies may require individuals to be homebound to receive home health services.

So my reading of this says yes, I qualify for homebound, but that doesn't mean I can't leave my house infrequently and for short durations if someone is needed to be with me (which is true - I don't feel strong enough to drive yet). I wonder why the home health nurse told me not to tell them about when I leave the house, then? Again, I'm still having a hard time standing in the shower long enough to wash my hair without becoming exhausted; don't worry, I do have something to sit on when I need it.

KimM - you're right, they probably won't know if I do leave. However, I've had enough instances in the last two months of things happen to me that are only supposed to happen in 5% or less of cases, that I am petrified I'll go out somewhere, have something happen (my imagination runs wild here), then end up back in the emergency room trying to explain to someone how this accident happened when I was supposed to be at home. For instance, we have a very good friend, whose wife is throwing him a retirement party this afternoon. It's less than a mile from our house, and I would love to be able to stop by, and when I mean stop by, I'm talking about 30 minutes or less, sitting down. I also have a couple of support groups I go to... one on Wednesday night, and one on Thursday night. They are longer in endurance (although I certainly don't have to stay the whole time), but I would like the opportunity to go if I feel like it later this week - again, I would have a driver.

	Quote:
Originally Posted by buddypurple lovelifenow - I finally, after sorting through pages of literature sent home with me, found the sheet that defines homebound: An individual is considered homebound if leaving home requires taxing effort and the help of another individual, or the use of an assistive device. It is usually due to illness or injury that an individual's ability to leave home is restricted. In general, time away from home should be of short duration and infrequent. Besides Medicare, insurance companies may require individuals to be homebound to receive home health services. So my reading of this says yes, I qualify for homebound, but that doesn't mean I can't leave my house infrequently and for short durations if someone is needed to be with me (which is true - I don't feel strong enough to drive yet). I wonder why the home health nurse told me not to tell them about when I leave the house, then? Again, I'm still having a hard time standing in the shower long enough to wash my hair without becoming exhausted; don't worry, I do have something to sit on when I need it. KimM - you're right, they probably won't know if I do leave. However, I've had enough instances in the last two months of things happen to me that are only supposed to happen in 5% or less of cases, that I am petrified I'll go out somewhere, have something happen (my imagination runs wild here), then end up back in the emergency room trying to explain to someone how this accident happened when I was supposed to be at home. For instance, we have a very good friend, whose wife is throwing him a retirement party this afternoon. It's less than a mile from our house, and I would love to be able to stop by, and when I mean stop by, I'm talking about 30 minutes or less, sitting down. I also have a couple of support groups I go to... one on Wednesday night, and one on Thursday night. They are longer in endurance (although I certainly don't have to stay the whole time), but I would like the opportunity to go if I feel like it later this week - again, I would have a driver.

She probably told you that because she is required to document absences from hime, and if it too many insurance can automatically deny it, even if its a difficult andtaxing effort, etc. Be avail for your nurse and you wont have any issues. I have on ocassion told people to take a ride to a drive thru or aomething just to keep off depression.Good luck!

buddypurple, were you having certain symptoms that they knew how to figure it out? Reason I am asking is I am on week 6 from Dvh surgery and was doing good up until this past friday, started feeling nauseous and pelvic area was very raw and no one could touch it with out me flying through the rough. My fever stayed around 100. I went to the ER yesterday, they ran bloodword, did a pelvic examine said he felt some sort of a mass near the main surgery point and when he put pressure on that point the pain I felt was like no other, I was trembling and crying. From there I had a CAT scan that showed my pelvic wall was full of fluid and hemoglobans. And then my liver had some cysts on it.

How did they go about finding out about your abcess and it becoming septic? I just want to make sure when I see my surgeon this week I am asking for all the right tests. They gave me antibiotics and pain meds to hold me over until I see my doctor but I am in so much pain it is scaring me.

Any help would be awesome! And thank you my hyster sister

I also had home health nurses come for 2 1/2 weeks due to my incision busting open. They came 3 times a day. Because it was my incision, my doctor still had me on restriction from lifting, bending, driving etc. However, I did leave.my house when I had a ride. And in fact, my nurse encouraged me leaving whenever possible. (As long as your home when they come). I only left a few times due to not being able to drive but it was good to get out. I would say if you can go somewhere, go.