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How Agencies Work

A wide variety of personal home care agencies can be found in cities across the United States.

A wide variety of personal home care agencies can be found in cities across the United States. While the size of these agencies and the specific services offered will vary, they have the same core focus: Assisting seniors with their activities of daily living.

Getting Started

Best Home Care Agencies recommends care seekers contact up to 3 home care agencies in their community to compare the services offered, pricing, scheduling, and how quickly they can start care. Our website, besthomecareagencies.com, allows you to submit a short inquiry form which we share with up to 3 agencies in your community.

Initial Assessment

Ideally the home care agency representative will meet in person with the family and the senior needing care. This in-person family meeting (often referred to as the “assessment”) allows the family and the agency representative to listen, ask questions, and share important information. The representative should see the home and the rooms and spaces where the client spends most of their time.

Signed Agreement

Home care agencies will walk the family through their customer service agreement and have the main family contact sign the document (often digitally or using a touch screen computer or iPad). This agency agreement contains important details about pricing, billing, other optional or required services and fees, and how care is provided and overseen. Most agencies require only 1 to 2 weeks notice to stop or suspend care.

Care Plan

An agency representative, often a registered nurse, will visit the client in the home to create the written plan of care. This care plan is a detailed hourly, daily, and weekly road map for the caregivers who will be providing care in the home. It specifies the activities of daily living the client needs help with, and details other tasks such as light housekeeping, cooking, errands, and pet care.

Caregiver Quality and Screening

Home care agency employment criteria can vary by state and locality. However, for the vast majority of agencies, the caregivers they employ will be W-2 employees of the agency. Caregivers providing hands-on personal care receive specific training and should be either licensed or certified to provide care. Certified Nurse Aides (CNAs), Personal Care Attendants (PCAs), and Home Health Aides are typical certifications you will see with caregivers in the agency setting. State and national background checks are common across most agencies, along with drug screenings either at the point of hire, or if warranted due to an incident.

Billing -

Home care agencies invoice their clients usually weekly or every 2 weeks. Most agencies require their clients to choose one of two payment methods: Direct ACH bank draft or credit card. If a client chooses to pay via credit card, expect to have a small processing fee added to your invoice (2.5% to 3.5%).

Cost

The cost of home care can also vary across regions of the country and urban vs. rural communities. You should anticipate an hourly rate in the range of $28 to $35 per hour. Again, the bill rate can vary widely depending on the services and supplies included, the region of the country, urban vs. rural, etc. Another important question to ask the agency : Do they require a minimum commitment of days per week and hours per day of care provided. You will commonly see 2 or 3 days a week with a 4-hour minimum per day.

Other Factors to Consider When Selecting a Home Care Agency:

Licensing

Most states require home care agencies to be licensed with the state health department. This licensing requirement provides minimum operational and staffing standards for home care agencies to follow. Unannounced periodic on-site visits usually come with the licensing requirement and can occur every 2 to 3 years.

Insurance

Agencies are normally required to carry general and professional liability insurance as well as workers compensation insurance which offers coverage for agency staff and caregivers in the event of a work-related injury. Proof of these and other coverages can be provided to clients and their families if requested.