Frequently asked questions

Yes, for eligible patients. When your doctor orders skilled care — nursing, physical, occupational, or speech therapy, or medical social services — and you meet Medicare's conditions, Medicare covers home health visits, and the covered visits generally cost you nothing out of pocket. Personal care on its own (help with bathing, dressing, or meals without a skilled need) is not covered by Medicare — that's where Medicaid long-term-care plans, long-term-care insurance, or private pay come in. Call us and we'll walk you through which applies.

Medicare home health generally requires three things: a physician's order, a need for skilled care, and being homebound. Homebound doesn't mean you can never leave the house — it means leaving takes considerable effort or help, for example because of illness, injury, or weakness after a hospital stay. Trips to the doctor, church, or a family event don't disqualify you. We check eligibility with you before care starts, at no cost.

No. Many patients start home health straight from home — after a fall, a change in a chronic condition, or when daily tasks quietly get harder. A hospital stay is one way people come to us; a doctor's order from a regular office visit works just as well. And private-pay personal care needs no order at all.

You can call us first — many people do. For Medicare-covered skilled care, a physician's order is required before visits begin, and we're glad to coordinate with your doctor's office to request one. For private-pay personal care, no order is needed and care can often begin within 48 hours.

Skilled care usually begins within 24–48 hours of receiving your physician's orders. Private-pay personal care can usually start within 48 hours, with no eligibility wait. Referrals are acknowledged the same business day.

Home health is clinical care — nurses and therapists treating wounds, managing medications, rebuilding strength — ordered by a doctor and typically covered by Medicare for eligible patients. Home care (we call it personal care) is everyday hands-on help: bathing, dressing, meals, and company from a Home Health Aide or CNA. We provide both, from one local team, so you don't have to figure out the vocabulary before you call.

A registered nurse comes to the home, usually within a day or two of your orders. Expect a thorough visit: they review your medications and history, check the home for safety, listen to what you and your family want care to accomplish, and build the plan of care with your doctor. It's also your chance to ask everything — the first visit is as much conversation as it is assessment.

Licensed nurses and therapists, medical social workers, and certified aides — every one of them licensed or certified for their role, credential-verified, background-screened, and supervised by our own clinical team. You're never left to vet or manage anyone on your own.

As much as we possibly can, yes. With personal care, we work to send the same caregiver each visit, so you're not getting to know someone new every time. With skilled care, we keep your team small so the faces stay familiar. And if a caregiver ever isn't the right match, just let us know — we're glad to make a change.

Under Medicare, no — Medicare pays for skilled visits from a certified agency, not wages for family caregivers. Some Florida Medicaid long-term-care plans do have participant-directed options that can involve family; the rules are specific, so call us and we'll help you understand what your plan allows.

Medicare, Florida Medicaid (including long-term-care managed-care plans), many Medicare Advantage plans, long-term-care insurance, and private pay. Plans and networks change, so the simplest path is to call with your plan name — we'll check it and let you know what's covered and what to expect.

Five Florida counties: Hillsborough, Polk, Manatee, Highlands, and Hardee — including Tampa, Brandon, Riverview, Plant City, Lakeland, Winter Haven, Bartow, Bradenton, Palmetto, Sebring, Avon Park, Wauchula, and Zolfo Springs. If you're anywhere in those counties, we likely serve your community.

Yes. We ask you not to include medical details in the online form — a name, a number, and a sentence is plenty — and we never sell your information. Anything you share is handled under our privacy practices, and clinical documents should come to us by phone or secure fax rather than through the website.

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Call the same number — (813) 400-0324. Outside office hours it reaches our on-call line. For a medical emergency, always call 911 first.