Scott Webb (Host): Franciscan Health Home Care offers a range of comprehensive home care services, and oftentimes that includes being treated by your current primary doctor. And joining me to tell us more today is Registered Nurse Julia Capps. She's the Operations Director of Home Health Central and Western Divisions at Franciscan Health.

 This is the Franciscan Health Doc Pod. I'm Scott Webb. Julia, it's great to have you here. I know that you're the Operations Director of Home Health Central and Western Divisions at Franciscan Health. And what does that mean? Well, it means that you're the right person to have here to talk about home health care and who's a good candidate and what it costs and all the ins and outs. So, let's start there. Which patients are good candidates for home health care?

Julia Capps: Good patients for us are the ones that really we consider homebound, meaning it's very difficult for them to get out. It may take a long time. It may take extra people to help them. So again, it's difficult for them to be able to get out to a physician's office for the treatment or care that they need.

Host: Yeah. So, the care coming to them, coming to their home is just a good fit. What are some of the biggest misconceptions about home health care?

Julia Capps: So, one of the things that we see on a regular basis is lot of people think that we come into the home and we're really more cooking and cleaning and a companion. There are services that do that. However, skilled agencies, which is what Franciscan are, we actually come into the home and we actually provide that skilled level of care, whether it's with a nurse, physical therapist, or speech therapist. So, those clinicians are actually laying hands on the patient, helping them whether they're doing rehab, they've had an injury, we're helping them with disease management, medication, education, all of those things. That's what makes us different in one aspect.

The other is that we have patients who worry that if they go on home care, they can't keep their regular family physician and that's not the case either. Home care actually works with the primary care physician. And so, we set that plan not only with the patient, with their primary care provider and the home health agency clinicians to get the best plan for that patient. So, they can definitely keep that service with their family care provider as well.

Host: Yeah, I'm sure that's a question or a concern, right? So, we know that for some folks being at home is going to be a better fit. And certainly keeping their typical doctor, their regular primary care doctor, I'm sure that's a comfort to many. You mentioned there what makes Franciscan's home healthcare a little bit different than others. And not that it's a competition, of course, Julia, but how does Franciscan Health's home healthcare differ from some of the other agencies in Indiana?

Julia Capps: I think one of the things that helps for us is we are very large. So, I think we have large amount of services throughout the state that we can provide. So, right now, we actually have eight offices across Indiana that service all of these patients. And one of the things that works well with us is we have such a good relationship with our physicians, Franciscan Physician Network, as well as our hospitals. So, we have that continuum of care. We have that communication, that understanding. And the idea is that we keep the patient within the Franciscan family. That allows us to know exactly what's going on, whether they're at the physician or the hospital, or if they're in home care, that physician can see what's going on with that patient.

Host: Yeah, family, that's a great way to put this. I'm probably wrong, but it feels like, "All right, I get to stay at home. I get to see my own doctor." This must be expensive, right? So if it is expensive or either way, what are some of the options that are available to help cover the cost of home care?

Julia Capps: So, that is a fantastic option with home health, is that most insurance plans do cover this. Medicare covers it at 100%. We do have and accept Medicare replacement plans, Medicaid. We do also offer some charity care as well. So, home health for the most part is covered over a huge majority of the Central Indiana insurance plans.

Host: Yeah. See, I knew I was wrong. I knew as I was asking the question. And I'm like, "I'm probably wrong. It's probably a lot of it's covered," which makes this even more beneficial for folks. Julia, if somebody is interested, what service areas does Franciscan Health Home Care cover throughout Indiana? I know you said there's lots of facilities and obviously there's lots of doctors and nurses, but let's talk about the service areas.

Julia Capps: You know, we have services in Indiana, South Suburban Chicago. So, our offices are actually in Olympia Field, Hobart. Michigan City, Lafayette, Crawfordsville, Indianapolis, Plainfield, and Greensburg. So looking on the map, you can see we have a very large coverage area, and work together amongst our agencies as well. If a patient moves or is going to stay with a loved one that may not be in the particular area that they're staying that's normally their home, we'll actually reach out to one of our sister services and say, " We have a patient who lives in this territory. We'd like to send you that referral." So, it's nice that we do have very large presence in the state.

Host: Let's just finish up here. You know, it sounds like there's so many benefits. And hopefully, we've answered some questions that folks have today. Why do you recommend home health care?

Julia Capps: Honestly, I think home health care gives the patients the best comfort of their home. You know, It's comfortable in your home. You feel safe there. It's convenient. You know, that's one of the benefits of home health. We can do it at your home, your location with your family, your comfort area. And basically, we are helping you heal in your environment. And we know every home is different. And so, we're able assess that and make a plan that works for you.

Host: Yeah, that's perfect. As we sort of said, folks just are more comfortable typically in their own homes and with the care coming to them and them being able to continue to see their doctors, their primaries, whomever, it's all good stuff. So, thank you so much.

Julia Capps: Thanks for having me. This we really appreciate the opportunity.

Host: And to learn more, visit franciscanhealth.org and search Home Health. And if you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and be sure to check out the full podcast library for additional topics of interest. This is the Franciscan Health Doc Pod. I'm Scott Webb. Stay well, and we'll talk again next time.