When providing individual healthcare for a patient, especially an elderly one, the primary concern of the patient’s family is to choose the most appropriate option for the caretaking facility. In terms of the US healthcare system, these options include home health care service (either private or public) or a facility placement (“Home health care vs facility placement – options for elder care,” 2020). Home care seems to be a better option due to a series of advantages, as patients are willing to stay with family and familiar households. According to the statistics, more than seven million people across the US require in-home healthcare (“Personal care agencies vs home health agencies,” 2018). However, the issue with home health care agencies concerns poor financial support from the government and, hence, agencies are almost unable to cover the expenses for the patients. Services like Medicare provide financial support in a few cases when a series of requirements are executed (Medicare, n.d.). Moreover, the people who require assistance, are often financially unstable, which leads to a profit decrease among the facilities.
If I were to start a home health care agency, I would consider all the area peculiarities to establish an effective service. First of all, the prices for healthcare itself could be raised because assisted facilities cover practically the same fee without providing such an individual approach (“Calculating the cost of assisted living vs home care,” 2019). The fee rise should be established according to the average income rate of the area, taking into consideration whether it is an urban or countryside area.
The primary issue of home health care agencies concerns the extremely low-income rate of the staff. According to the latest data, the average hourly wages in the US constitute approximately 24$ per hour, whereas home care nurses are paid 8-14$ per hour (“United States average hourly wages,” 2020). Regarding the potential competition with private agencies that do not rely on governmental funding, it is also of crucial importance to provide the service that would be relevant in the cost-quality paradigm.
References
Calculating the cost of assisted living vs home care. (2019). Web.
Home health care vs facility placement – options for elder care. (2020). Web.
Medicare. (n.d.). Home health services. Web.
Personal care agencies vs home health agencies. (2018). Web.
United States average hourly wages. (2020). Web.