If your doctor has mentioned home health, or you have noticed a parent struggling after an illness, you probably want to know how to start home health care in Tampa and what really happens next. The good news: the process is more straightforward than most families expect. It runs through your doctor, then the home health agency, then a first visit at home that shapes everything after it. This guide walks you through each step, what to have ready and how payment works, from the first phone call to the last visit.
First, make sure home health is the right kind of care
Home health care is skilled medical care ordered by your doctor and given in your home for a period of time. Nurses, therapists and medical social workers come for scheduled visits, and a home health aide may help with bathing while you are receiving skilled care. The goal is specific: heal a wound, recover after surgery, get a new medicine routine under control, walk safely again.
Home health is not around-the-clock help, housekeeping or a caregiver who stays for hours. If what your family mainly needs is help with meals, bathing or other daily activities, our home care and long-term care services can help, through Medicaid Long-Term Care plans or private pay. Our guide to home health care vs. assisted living explains the options side by side.
Medicare covers home health care when you qualify. In short: a doctor or allowed practitioner certifies that you need part-time skilled nursing or therapy, you are homebound, and the agency is Medicare-certified. The full rules, including what “homebound” means, are on our Medicare home health page. One point surprises many families: you do not need a hospital stay first.
Step 1: Talk to the doctor
Home health always starts with a doctor’s order. That can come from your primary care doctor, a specialist, a hospital doctor, or a nurse practitioner, physician assistant or clinical nurse specialist.
Doctors respond best to specific changes, so describe what you are seeing:
- Trouble walking, getting out of a chair or using the bathroom safely
- A recent fall, or several near-falls
- A wound or surgical incision that needs care
- Confusion about medicines, or several new prescriptions at once
- Shortness of breath, swelling or weight changes with heart or lung disease
- Blood sugar that is hard to control
Then ask directly: “Would home health help, and will you order it?” If you already know which agency you want, say so. You have the right to choose a Medicare-certified agency that serves your area. Medicare Advantage plans may limit you to agencies in their network. Our article on how to choose a home health care agency can help you compare.
Step 2: The referral and order
Once the doctor agrees, the office sends a referral to the agency. It usually includes your contact details, diagnosis, recent visit notes, medication list and the services requested, such as nursing, physical therapy or occupational therapy.
Families can call the agency first. When you call Making Memories Home Health, we will ask a few basic questions and can contact the doctor’s office to request the order. Doctors’ offices can find our fax number and referral details on our referrals page. If you are still in the hospital or a rehab center, the discharge planner usually sends the referral. Our guide to coming home after a hospital stay covers that path.
Step 3: The face-to-face visit
Medicare requires that a doctor or allowed practitioner saw you in person about the main reason you need home health. That visit must happen within the 90 days before care starts or the 30 days after. Often it is the hospital stay or the office appointment where home health came up.
If it has been a while since your last appointment, the doctor may want to see you before signing. It helps when the visit notes describe why leaving home is hard for you and what skilled care you need. Be honest and specific during that appointment.
Step 4: Our intake team verifies your benefits
When the referral arrives, our intake team:
- Confirms your address is in our service area: Hillsborough, Polk and Manatee counties
- Verifies your Medicare or Medicare Advantage benefits
- Requests any prior authorization your plan requires
- Explains any costs before care starts
- Asks whether you prefer English or Spanish
- Schedules your first visit
This is a good time to ask questions. Who will be coming? How do you reach the office? Our office is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM.
Step 5: The first visit and your plan of care
The first visit, called the start of care, is usually the longest. A registered nurse comes in most cases. If you only need therapy, a therapist may come instead. During this visit the clinician will:
- Review your health history and the reason for care
- Check vital signs and how you move around
- Look at every medication in the home, including over-the-counter products
- Walk through the home for fall hazards and safety concerns
- Ask about your own goals, such as showering alone or walking to the mailbox
- Go over consent forms, your rights and what to do in an emergency
From that visit, the team writes your plan of care: which services you will get, how often, and the goals you are working toward. It goes to your doctor to review and sign. If you still need care when that period ends, your provider can recertify the plan.
Tell the nurse what matters most to you. A plan built around your real goals works better than a generic one.
Step 6: Therapy and other visits
After the first visit, other team members come for their own evaluations. Depending on your needs, that may include:
- Skilled nursing for wounds, medicines, chronic disease teaching and monitoring
- Physical therapy for strength, balance and walking
- Occupational therapy for bathing, dressing and daily tasks
- Speech therapy for swallowing, speech and memory
- Medical social work for resources, planning and coping
- A home health aide for personal care while you receive skilled care
Visits are often more frequent at the start and taper as you improve. Because visits are part-time, family members fill the gaps. The team will teach you and your caregivers what to watch for and what to do between visits. Keep a notebook for questions, blood pressure readings or symptoms. If something changes, call your doctor or our office. For an emergency, call 911.
Step 7: Discharge from home health
Home health is meant to end. Discharge happens when you reach your goals, when you no longer need skilled care, when you are no longer homebound, or when you decide to stop.
A good discharge is planned, not sudden. Before your last visit, the team should go over your home exercise program, your medication list, follow-up appointments and any next steps, such as outpatient therapy. If you have Original Medicare, you should get a written notice before covered services end. It explains how to ask for a fast appeal if you disagree.
If your needs change later, home health can start again with a new order.
What to have ready: a checklist for families
Gathering these items before the first visit saves time and prevents mistakes:
- Insurance cards: Medicare, Medicare Advantage and any supplemental plan
- Photo ID
- Every medication in one place: prescriptions, over-the-counter pills, vitamins, inhalers, eye drops, creams and injections
- Doctor information: names and phone numbers for your primary care doctor and specialists, plus your pharmacy
- Hospital or rehab discharge papers and any new instructions
- Advance directive or health care surrogate papers, if you have them
- Equipment you already own: walker, shower chair, glucose meter, oxygen
- Access details: gate codes, parking instructions for a condo or gated community, and a plan to keep pets secured during visits
- A family contact who can be reached about scheduling
- Your list of questions
How home health care is paid for
Several sources can pay for home health care. Which one applies depends on your coverage:
- Original Medicare covers home health care when you qualify. Medical equipment such as a walker is handled separately, usually through an equipment supplier with your doctor’s order.
- Medicare Advantage plans cover home health too, but they may require prior authorization and may limit you to network agencies.
- Other insurance varies by plan.
- Veterans should ask their VA care team about VA home care programs. Many veterans also have Medicare, which covers home health care when they qualify. Our medical social worker can help you sort out which resources fit.
There is no reason to wait for a “better time” to start. Medicare home health is not limited to a set number of visits per year. Care continues as long as you qualify and your provider keeps recertifying your plan.
You can see the plans we work with on our insurance page. Whatever your coverage, we verify your benefits and explain any costs before care starts.
How Making Memories Home Health can help
Making Memories Home Health Inc is a Medicare-certified, Joint Commission accredited home health agency based in Tampa. We are family-founded by experienced ICU and emergency nurses, and our team speaks English and Spanish. We serve families throughout Tampa and the rest of Hillsborough, Polk and Manatee counties.
If you are not sure where to begin, call us at (813) 931-0015 or send us a message through our contact page. We will walk you through the next step, whether that is talking to your doctor or scheduling your first visit. You can also browse all of our home health services.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a hospital stay before I can get home health care?
No. A hospital stay is not required. Your primary care doctor or specialist can order home health care after an office visit if you meet the requirements, and many people start care that way.
Can my family call the home health agency before the doctor sends an order?
Yes. You can call Making Memories Home Health first. We will ask a few questions, explain what the doctor needs to send, and can reach out to the doctor's office to request the order. Care itself starts only after a doctor or allowed practitioner orders it.
How long does home health care last?
It depends on your goals and progress. Your plan of care covers a set period, and your provider can renew it if you still qualify and still need skilled care. When your goals are met, the team plans your discharge with you.
What if I need help at home again after I am discharged from home health?
You can start home health again if your needs change, for example after a new illness, a fall or a hospital stay. Talk to your doctor, who can send a new order, and call us so we can check your benefits again.