How to Rank Home Health Care Agencies

Estimates place the cost of hospital health care at 50 to 70 percent higher than home health care. When patients need health care, both private and public insurers encourage home health care whenever possible. Home health care agencies contract with public insurers such as Medicare and Medicaid, private insurers and individual consumers to provide medical, therapeutic and supportive services to individuals who need health care and can receive it at home. Ranking home health care agencies in your area can help you decide which one will best meet your needs.

Things You'll Need

• Internet access

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Instructions

• 1

  Check the Joint Commission website. The Joint Commission rates the effectiveness and quality of health care businesses, including home health care agencies, after conducting on-site investigations. Families, insurance companies and clients can view these ratings and rankings when choosing a home health care agency. Search for a home health care agency on their website (see Resource 2) to see how it ranks.

• 2

  Access the Health Insight website. Health Insight computes home health care rankings through publicly reported data as reported by Medicare. Select the state where searching for rankings and view the resulting rankings for that state.

• 3

  View the Better Business Bureau ratings for home health care agencies. The Better Business Bureau maintains digital records of home health care agencies' rankings according to consumer reports about them, complaints against them or reviews of them. Go to the locality where the home health agency operates and type in the agency's name to find its BBB ranking.