When does the Home Health Agency (HHA) won accept a patient?
A HHA is not obligated to provide services to all patients who meet the eligibility criteria. The agency may select those whom it wants to treat, provided that it does not violate discrimination laws. If the first agency you call is unable treat you, try contacting other agencies. It is possible that another agency will be able to provide services. Be aware of the Prospective Payment System (PPS) which is to slow the spending on home health care, Congress mandated the implementation of a prospective payment system (PPS) of fixed, predetermined rates for home health services. The limits give HHAs incentives to control per-visit costs, and the number and mix of visits provided to patients. Consequently, PPS has limited access to home health services and caused many home health agencies to close, resulting in fewer alternatives for patients.
