Understanding your options
Home health, home care, or hospice?
These are three different services that families often confuse — here is the plain difference between them, so you can tell which one fits.
The three, side by side
Same setting — care at home — but different teams, different orders, and different ways of paying.
Home health
For patients recovering from a hospital stay, surgery, a fall, or a new diagnosis who need skilled care at home. Nurses and therapists carry out a plan of care, manage conditions, and report back to the doctor. It is ordered by a physician and covered by Medicare for eligible patients. This is the care we provide.
Home care
For people who mainly need help with daily living rather than medical treatment. Caregivers assist with bathing, dressing, meals, errands, and companionship — non-medical support, hour by hour. It does not require a doctor's order and is usually paid privately or through long-term care insurance, not Medicare home health.
Hospice
For patients near the end of life who have chosen comfort over curative treatment. The hospice team focuses on pain relief, symptom control, and support for the family. It is its own Medicare benefit, separate from home health, and is typically elected when a physician confirms a life-limiting prognosis.
We provide Medicare home health. If your situation really calls for home care or hospice instead, we will tell you honestly and help point you in the right direction — even when it is not the service we offer.
At a glance
A quick way to compare the three across the questions families ask most.
| Home health | Home care | Hospice | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who it's for | Recovering, managing a condition | Help with daily living | Comfort at end of life |
| Who orders it | A physician | No doctor's order needed | Elected with a physician |
| What the team does | Skilled nursing and therapy | Bathing, meals, errands | Pain and symptom relief |
| Who usually pays | Medicare, for eligible patients | Usually private pay | Its own Medicare benefit |
| How long it lasts | Intermittent, per plan of care | As long as you arrange | Through end of life |
If home health is what you need
Home health visits are covered by Medicare for eligible patients with a physician's order. No surprise bills for covered care.
Check whether you qualify
Medicare home health has three basic requirements — a physician's order, a skilled and intermittent need, and homebound status. See how care starts and what it costs for the eligibility details.
Still deciding
Not sure which one you need? Call us.
Tell us what is going on and we will help you sort out whether home health is the right fit — or point you toward home care or hospice if that serves you better.