Glossary
Home health terms, in plain English
The words you will hear from hospitals, Medicare and our team, explained in a sentence or two. Underlined terms across our site link here.
- Allowed practitioner
- A nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist or physician assistant who may order and certify Medicare home health, in addition to physicians. Source
- Care Compare
- The official Medicare website where anyone can compare home health agencies' quality measures and star ratings. Source
- Certification period
- Medicare home health is certified in 60-day periods. If care is still needed, the practitioner recertifies the plan for another period. Source
- EVV
- Electronic Visit Verification, the system Texas uses to confirm the time and place of certain Medicaid home visits. Source
- Exclusion screening
- Checking staff against the federal OIG exclusion list and the Texas Medicaid exclusion list, so no excluded person works on federally funded care. Source
- Face-to-face encounter
- A visit with a physician or allowed practitioner, related to the main reason for home health, that must happen within 90 days before or 30 days after the start of care. Source
- HCSSA
- Home and Community Support Services Agency, the Texas license category for home health agencies, governed by 26 Texas Administrative Code Chapter 558. Source
- HHABN
- The Home Health Advance Beneficiary Notice, which an agency gives when it believes Medicare may not pay for an item or service, or plans to reduce or stop care. Source
- HHCAHPS
- The Home Health Care Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey, which asks patients about their experience with an agency. Source
- Home health aide
- A trained, supervised aide who helps with personal care such as bathing. Medicare covers aide visits only when the patient also receives skilled care. Source
- Homebound
- Under Medicare, leaving home takes considerable and taxing effort, and the person needs help such as a cane, wheelchair, special transportation or another person, or leaving home is not advised. Short, infrequent absences, such as for medical care or religious services, are allowed. Source
- Intermittent care
- Part-time skilled care. Medicare generally covers fewer than 8 hours a day and 28 or fewer hours a week of combined skilled nursing and aide services. Source
- Medical social services
- Help from a medical social worker with the social and emotional concerns that affect recovery, such as community resources and long-term planning. Source
- Medicare Advantage
- Medicare health plans offered by private companies approved by Medicare. They cover home health but may use their own networks and prior authorization rules. Source
- Medication reconciliation
- A nurse compares every medication a patient has at home with the current orders, to catch duplicates, gaps and interactions.
- NOMNC
- The Notice of Medicare Non-Coverage, given at least two days before covered home health ends. It explains how to request a fast appeal. Source
- OASIS
- The Outcome and Assessment Information Set, the standardized assessment Medicare-certified agencies complete at key points in care. Many CMS quality measures come from it. Source
- Patient choice
- Hospitals must tell patients which home health agencies serve their area and respect the agency the patient chooses. Source
- Plan of care
- The written plan, signed by the physician or allowed practitioner, that lists the services, visit frequency and measurable goals for a patient's home health care. Source
- Prior authorization
- Approval a health plan gives before services begin. Texas Medicaid and many Medicare Advantage plans require it for home health.
- Skilled care
- Care that must be given by or under the supervision of a licensed nurse or therapist to be safe and effective, such as wound care, medication teaching or rehabilitation. Source
- Start of care
- The first home health visit. The initial assessment happens within 48 hours of referral or return home, or on the date the physician orders. Source
Definitions summarize federal and Texas sources and are general information, not legal or coverage advice.
Have a patient who could recover at home?
Request a callback and our intake team will follow up with next steps. Please do not send patient health information through this website.
Prefer that we call you?
Fax referrals and orders to (214) 614-7479
- Texas HCSSA rules
- Medicare Conditions of Participation
- Monthly exclusion screening
- No health data in web forms
- Free language help