The homecare factoring specialists came across a worthwhile article in the Pennsylvania Homecare Association’s weekly e-newsletter, and we wanted to share the details below:

Officials in the Pennsylvania Department of Health recently met with Susan Heinle of Visiting Angels and the Pennsylvania Homecare Association (PHA). They discussed the legal roles and abilities of homecare aides in medication assistance, and of “nurses employed by private duty homecare agencies and defining specialized care for homecare agencies and registries.”

Currently, the law prohibits Pennsylvania home nurses like Heinle from assisting their patients with the application of basic medications such as eye drops, topical creams and pills. These limitations affect both patients and families, who wish “to help their loved ones stay at home as they age but need help with medications.” PHA CEO Vicki Hoak decries the state of things: “not being able to provide this assistance is very frustrating to many of our members because families simply can’t afford to have a nurse come to the house just to hand over pills.”

Following this meeting, the Department of Health has decided to formulate a series of FAQs that, according to a press release on the PHA website, “will address medication assistance and provide further clarification on what is and what is not specialized care. This clarification is expected to be released in late summer.”

The goal of these discussions is the eventual optimization of home nurses’ legal capabilities. The effectiveness of the industry and its ability to assist its patients depends on the reformation of Pennsylvania’s legislation as it currently stands. These reforms would greatly benefit our homecare factoring clients in their respective missions-the improvement of the lives of each and every one of their clients. For more information, visit the PHA’s website.