Questions about home care companies

Hi Kelly,

I haven’t posted in quite some time but log on to read what’s up with everyone. I worked in Home Care for close to 25 years so can answer some of your questions, based on how we operated.
[COLOR=”Red”][/COLOR]
1) Do you always have the same nurse? We usually tried to have the same nurse go out to see patient’s, for their benefit as well as yours. Continuity of care is a big thing with surveyors, making sure the clients are having a nurse that can notice changes from visit to visit. It isn’t always possible though, especially in the beginning. Ask if it would be mostly possible to have the same nurse for continuity.

2) Who does the scheduling? Your nurse or the office? Most companies have someone in the office doing the scheduling. There are a few companies that allow the nurses to self manage their schedule, but mostly it is the office.

3) Is your company/nurse flexible? This varies depending on their patient load. If a nurse has 10 patients to see in a day, and has to drive 80 miles to see them, you live on one end of town and their schedule ends on the other, it might not be feasible to to be too flexible. Another consideration is IV times for other patients. Most IV nurses are for the most part, seeing IV patients, meaning those other patients might have certain times that they need to be seen. I have found it easier to have a window of say an hour or so at whatever time of day works for you and see if they can accommodate you.

4) Does your company use a pump? Yes, and I would recommend you request one. In this day and age, there are all kinds of EASY to use pumps, and no reason why they shouldn’t have enough in stock to provide one.

5) What company do you use? And are you happy with them & would you recommend them for a child? I won’t be able to answer here, since my company is a local one, not nationwide. Maybe some others can suggest for you.

6) Have you ever had a problem getting IVIG from your home care company? No, only from an insurance perspective. My last round was mailed to me, along with all of the equipment, pumps, supplies, etc. and then the nurse came and hooked it all up. That was the smoothest that I have ever had.

Good luck! Gabrielle

Hi Kelly! Wished I could answer your question but think someone already covered it. Funny you mentioning a spider. On my way this morning to go pick up meds I had to wait because they had to order it from another store. Said it would be an hour wait. So I go to Lowes and saw this beautiful plant and ended up buying quite a few plants. Got home and as I was typing this spider fell out of my hair! LOL! Well it is now splattered spider but made me react to it! I guess I am not the only one that saw the spider too! Hugs
Linda H

Hi Kelly,

1. yes
2. My nurse schedules my ivig amd eguipment.
3.yes, very flexible.
4.I don’t use a pump, but little bottles, 100cc, 10 gm. each, so I get 90 gm. every two weeks. I have a call out to the current on call nurse today or I will call back on Monday and, if you don’t mind, discuss Emily’s case as much as I know it-mainly get answers to your questions.
5. U of M made the home IV referral for me, because I was unhappy with my
current care. Had a port in, and that stopped the 5-15 peripheral vein sticks.
I have AlexaCare Health Solutions that sends me the ivig and all the equipment and supplies. My home health nurse is from Preferred Providers, Inc. My nurse and I had a couple od differencas, but we immed. and worked them out.
6. No
I will ask all 6 of your questions to the nurse when she calls back, probably Monday.
Best wishes Kelly. Hi Emily.
Emma

Kelly-they called back tonight; I PM’d you with the details.
Emma

Hi Kelly,
I have a home care company and I get the same nurse. I had the same one for a few years and he ended up quitting and then I got another one that I like alot. She is very good with scheduling and being flexible with the schedule, she will work around my time. She has a pump that I can carry around the house with me. The company has been very good to me and I have never had a problem with getting the IVIG. The name of the company is U.S. Bioservice. If you are interested let me know and I will get their number for you. They are located in PA and have nurses all over the U.S. that work for them. The nurse I have is very good and I enjoy our time together.
Clare in Michigan

Hi kelly,

It made me sad to hear Emily was having some trouble. Whenever I think about this stuff, children alway come to mind first. Kinda weird the nurse up quit with no notice. thats a bummer.

Maybe the nurse was did it that way because of the attachment and separation from patients. who knows

I have Aetna Heath Care. All the gamunex, suppies etc come directly to me from their Pharmacy in Florida. I maintain inventory with the nurse.\
They ship the product UPS Next day air to my house the week before, usually Saturday. I put it in the Frig until the night before then take it out
to warm up.

They alway use Gamunex. I questioned the supply and she said she was there 4 years and they never had a disruption in gamunex.
That product seems to work ok with me so I am good there.

They issued me a CAD pump, a little bag to hold it.

So far, the same nurse. I do Friday infusions, but like if I switch to Mondays, She can’t make its so a sub would come in.

The nurse schedules with me directly and report to her behind the desk coordinator.

The Nurse always offers flexibility depending on her shedule. she is kinda part time and near retirement so her plate isn’t real full. she can move around and has offered Saturdays. I was immediately comfortable with her.

For the adults Its probably wouldn’t phase me to bop around between nurses, but with young children, you defineately want the child to have a trust and bond. Its a big part of the mental aspect.

This would be a good time to switch if you feel the current agency won’t be suitable for Emily. you do your homework pretty well, I am confident you’ll find the best way for Emily. Hope she does well.–tim–

PS–Sorry to hear about the spider. OUCH! they can be nasty. See Ya Kelly

Hey Tim! Your thoughts about children getting this stuff are my thoughts exactly. It tears my heart out knowing a child has to deal with this stuff. So young and vibrant but yet they are having to be adults at the same time frame.
It’s bad enough hearing about the child but I deeply ache for the parents too. The parents have a whole lot to worry about. And you know there is always a fear that your child is not getting better or the fear of loosing them.
I deeply admire the parents for dealing with this situation and more so admire the child! I hope Emily gets better!
Hugs
Linda H

I was told recently by one of our doctors that there are no know home care companies that do children in Ohio. I told her that there are children getting home ivig in MI and IL and she said that she had never heard of such a thing. Any input?

Kelly-You Go Girl!!!:D I also sent you a pm. But go with Kelly’s advice and hints first!!:D

The most important thing is for your daughter to be treated well and feel secure with each nurse.