At South City Hospital we understand that sometimes patients perfer to receive care at home. We are in the process of developing a full-fledged home health care service.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS A PILOT PROJECT and not a full service. All cases are referred to the medical director, Dr Munir Mahar. 

What are South city Hospital Home Health Services?
Patients can receive health care services in the home.
Home health services can include:
Skilled nursing (including planning and monitoring your care)
Physical therapy
Home health aides (including assistance with care such as bathing, dressing, grooming, changing bed linens, feeding, toileting, transfers, ambulation, simple dressing changes, range of motion exercises and other routine therapy, nebulization, chest physiotherapy, air-way suctioning, enemas, placement of NGT/Foley’s/Cannula/Care of Tracheostomy 
Visit by a physician for diagnosis and prescribing treatment, or senior trained nurses for care delivery
Medical supplies
Preliminary Health Care & Evaluation
ECG
Blood sampling and laboratory investigations
Vitals and weight measurement
Oxygen therapy
Intravenous fluids and injections
Placement of urinary catheter
Placement of nasogastric feeding tube
Wound dressing

Who is eligible to receive Home Health Services? (HHS)
In order to receive South City Hospital’s Home Health Services:
You must be residing in Karachi City living in DHA or Clifton.
Even if you are enrolled in a managed care plan, outside Pakistan, such as a health maintenance organization (HMO), you are eligible for the same home health services provided you enroll with SCH HHS and agree to our terms of payments for rendered services in cash.

You must be restricted in your ability to leave home.
This means that you require the help or supervision of another person, or you use a supportive device such as a cane or walker. You can leave the home as often as you need for medical treatment. Non-medical absences must be either infrequent, for a short period of time, or against medical judgment. If leaving home requires a considerable or taxing effort for you, you can request home health services.

You must need either skilled nursing care on an intermittent basis or physical therapy or speech therapy.

Skilled nursing includes not only "hands-on" treatment, but observation of your changing condition. There is no requirement that your condition must improve.

Intermittent can mean skilled nursing case as infrequently as once every 5 days. Some people can need a nurse less than once every 10 days and still receive home health aide services, as long As they have a regular and predictable need for a nurse. For instance, you may need a nurse to assist you in administering B12 injections once every 7 days.

You must have a doctor prescribe the home-based care.
This means that if you are enrolled in a managed care plan, the care must be authorized by your primary care physician (Treating Physician).

How do I get Home Health Services?
If you think you may be eligible for home health benefits, ask your physician to develop a plan of care for you. If you are hospitalized, you may ask the hospital Discharge Planning Medical Officer Dr Raheel Hashmi, to set up these services for you. You can also ask our home health provider to evaluate your need for home care services and to develop a plan of care. In a managed care plan, you must get prior approval for an evaluation.

The RMO or Nurse Practitioner will visit your home, develop a plan of care, and submit the proposed plan to our physician for approval. You must get home health care services from a provider that is selected by our managed care plan.

Even if you have a chronic, terminal, and/or degenerative condition, home health coverage be available to you. For example, you may need skilled nursing or therapy services to prevent or slow further deterioration or to preserve current capabilities.

How much will I have to pay for Home Health Services?
SCH home health benefits require a full evaluation of your needs and projected plan bills.

Is there any difference if I am enrolled in a health insurance plan?
If you are enrolled in a Health Insurance managed care plan, you must get prior approval from your insurance company in writing stating clearly approval of home care plans provided by us, after our evaluation, in order to get home health benefits. If you request home health benefits and approval is denied, by you insurance company, you should be able to pay on your own.

How long am I entitled to Home Health Services?
You can receive home health services for as long as you continue to meet the coverage criteria. You can receive a combination of home health services for up to seven days per week and up to 14 hours per week as long as the need for these services is documented by the home health provider. In addition, you can receive up to 21 hours per week of daily services as long as the need for these services is for a finite period of time. A terminal condition, for example, might allow you to qualify for these increased hours.

What types of Home Health Services are available?
Some examples of home health services covered by SCH HHS are:
You have hypertension and suffer from dizziness and weakness. Your doctor is concerned that your blood pressure is too low and has stopped your hypertension medication. Home health coverage will allow a nurse to observe and monitor your blood pressure until it remains stable and in a safe range.

You were recently diagnosed as a diabetic. You need a skilled nurse to teach you to self inject, to manage your insulin, to understand the signs and symptoms of insulin shock, and how to respond to emergencies. The teaching services would be covered as a home health benefit.

You recently broke a leg bone which has not healed and is unstable. You need regular exercise to maintain function until the bone heals. A physical therapist visits to make sure that your leg is properly aligned during your maintenance exercises.

You have Alzheimer's disease and get confused about whether you took your medications and how much you are supposed to take. SCH HHS will assign a nurse to come to your home to assess your medical symptoms for medication compliance, and to ensure that your overall care plan is adequate.

You have multiple sclerosis and require regular exercise so that your condition does not deteriorate. SCH HHS will cover a physical therapist to come to your home and ensure that your exercise program remains appropriate.

Although you are homebound, if your managed care plan requires you to obtain your physical therapy at our outpatient facility. You also require a nurse to come to your home to change your catheter once a month and the daily assistance of a home health aide with bathing and dressing. Because you leave home for a medical service, the managed care plan will cover the nursing and home health aide visits in your home.

These are just a few examples of the types of services you can get if you are determined eligible for SCH home health benefits. Remember, SCH HHS will not cover social workers.

Assistance benefits are for elderly and disabled residents of Clifton and DHA Karachi.