Home health care is direct patient care, plus the management and coordination of patient care services, in a residential setting.
Family physicians have always provided home health care. Since home health care often requires continuing and comprehensive patient care in a family context, family physicians are particularly well-qualified and trained to provide home health care. Thus, the patient's family physician should be directly involved in the initial decision to provide home health care services plus the subsequent planning, provision and management of those services. Additionally, adequate compensation for family physicians providing and managing home health care services will help ensure on-going home health care access and availability. (1986) (2020 COD)