The Home Health Guide
How to Choose a Home Health Agency
A step-by-step checklist for choosing a Medicare-certified home health agency: services, insurance, star ratings, questions to ask and red flags.
Choose a Medicare-certified agency that serves your address, offers the services in your plan of care, accepts your insurance and can start care quickly, then compare its Medicare star ratings and ask a few direct questions. You have the right to pick your agency. A hospital or doctor can suggest one, but the choice is yours.
Step 1: Make a short list
Search our directory by city, county or ZIP code. Every profile shows the agency’s Medicare ID, the services Medicare reports for it and, when available, its Medicare star rating. If you are leaving the hospital, the discharge planner must also give you a list of agencies that serve your area.
Step 2: Check the basics
- Services: does the agency offer what your practitioner ordered, such as physical therapy or speech therapy, and not just nursing?
- Coverage area: does it serve your exact address? Agencies often cover only part of a county.
- Insurance: with Medicare Advantage or private insurance, confirm the agency is in your plan’s network before care starts.
- Start date: how soon can a nurse or therapist make the first visit? Medicare tracks how often agencies start care on time.
Step 3: Compare quality
Medicare publishes two star ratings for most agencies: one for quality of patient care and one for patients’ own survey answers. Higher is better, but a missing rating usually means the agency is small or new, not that it is poor. Our guide to understanding star ratings explains what each rating measures.
Step 4: Ask these questions
- When can you start, and who will make the first visit?
- How many nurses and therapists do you have for my area, and will I see the same people?
- Who do I call at night or on weekends, and does a nurse answer?
- How do you coordinate with my doctor, and how quickly do you report changes?
- Do you have staff who speak my language?
- What will Medicare or my plan not cover, and will you tell me in writing first?
- If I also need non-medical help, do you offer private home care or can you refer me?
Red flags
- Someone calls or comes to your door offering free home health care, gifts or cash.
- An agency asks for your Medicare number before you have a doctor’s order.
- You are told you qualify even though no practitioner has seen you about the need for care.
- Your records list visits or services you never received.
Never give your Medicare number to someone who contacts you uninvited. To report suspected fraud, call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).
If you are not happy with your agency
You can change agencies at any time. Tell your practitioner, choose a new Medicare-certified agency, and the new agency will arrange the transfer. To complain about quality or safety, contact your state’s survey agency or call 1-800-MEDICARE.
Common questions
Does the hospital decide which agency I use?
No. The hospital must give you a list of agencies and respect your choice, though your health plan may limit you to its network.
What does “Verified” mean on this site?
Verified agencies have an active state license and current Medicare certification that we check every month. See our verification standards. Payment never changes verification.
Sources
This guide is general information, not medical or legal advice. See our medical disclaimer.