I am frequently met with the question of what are the pros/cons of hiring a private home health agency rather than hiring a private care provider or nurse when an individual is needing personal assistance.
More and more families are turning to care in the home with the increase in medical costs and decrease in benefit coverages. Additionally, with the increase in information readily available to adult children, individuals are taking more control of their medical and personal assistance needs.
Now more than ever, there are increasing options for private care and ancillary home services. When personal assistance is needed, it is important to know the advantages of utilizing care through a licensed agency vs. hiring a care provider privately. Here are some of the advantages:
- Care Providers and Nurses are properly screened and vetted. Agencies run background checks and check previous employment references to ensure they are hiring individuals that are “clean” and have good work history. Additionally, Agencies check previous healthcare experience and ensure that licenses and certifications stay current. It is the agencies responsibility also to make certain they are appropriately matching a care provider that has experience with the various diagnosis of the client.
- Utilizing services through an Agency guarantees coverage. An Agency is available and has staff available 24/7 and can guarantee coverage for their clients’ various schedules. When a family hires a private care provider, if the care provider is sick or wants days off, it is the client’s and/or families’ responsibility to alter their own private schedule to provide the care the client needs or the client goes without care. This is extremely frustrating and inconvenient to the family and can be physically detrimental to the client.
- Families don’t have to take on employer responsibilities for a household employee. When families hire private care providers, the client becomes an employer and responsible for reporting payment and taxes on their household employee. Additionally, the client, now employer, is responsible for any injury the care provider may sustain when providing care and could be at risk for being sued. Workmen’s Compensation insurance coverage is now the responsibility of the client/family. When hiring an Agency for care, all payroll, tax, benefit and liability coverages are the responsibility of the agency and reduces risk to any client on service with the agency.
- Professional and continual training. Agencies provide education, in-services and specialized training for their staff and guarantee certifications and licenses of professional care staff are maintained and current. This ensures clients/families are receiving care from individuals that are continually improving in their skill and education. This leads to a higher quality of care being delivered.
- Professional Assistance. Agencies are governed by state legislation, have Administrators and Supervisory nurses (dependent on licensing) that are professionals in their field and that have Continuing Education requirements. Professional guidance is available to clients and families for on-going assessments to adjust to care needs and have large pools of professionals they have vetted for customization of care teams to fit each client
- Sustainability. Agencies are responsible for providing care to their clients until service is no longer needed. Long-lasting loyalty from the Agency to the client and family members is crucial, despite any changes in the care team. Private care providers lives, availability and financial needs can often change and create instability for the client. These changes can be very disruptive and negatively impact care.
The biggest role of the Agency is to establish a trusted relationship with each client/family and guarantee provision of professional, compassionate care at the times the client requests and with individuals proficient at providing the care that is needed. Premiere Care Solutions role of provider, responsible party and intermediary defines its deepest purpose: to restore peace of mind and quality of life and positively impact the lives of the clients it serves.
Author: Laura Cook
