Glossary of Terms
What are Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)
Personal care tasks that help seniors engage in routine activities, such as using the toilet, bathing, dressing, eating, cooking, and moving around within their home.
What is a Care Plan (or Plan of Care)
Care plans include tasks and goals to help caregivers provide the best physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing care. This document describes the home care services needed and when the client would like to initiate care.
What is Companion Care
Companion care, or companionship, provides seniors with non-medical support, including emotional support, friendship, and socialization. Common activities include conversation, mental stimulation (playing games, going for a walk, listening to music), meal prep, laundry and light housekeeping, grocery shopping and errands, transportation to appointments and social events, and reminders for hygiene and grooming.
What is Electronic Visit Verification (EVV)
The technology used to verify that home or community-based service visits occur. The purpose of EVV is to ensure that services are delivered to people needing those services and that providers only bill for services rendered. EVV software typically verifies visit information through a mobile application on a smartphone or tablet, a toll-free telephone number, or a web-based portal. EVV requirements were put into action by the 21st Century Cures Act in 2016. Each state is able to decide which model they will use to implement EVV:
- Provider Choice Model: In provider choice, the state does not become involved in each provider’s vendor selection.
- MCO Choice Model: In this model, the state allows each Managed Care Organization to decide which vendor it will accept.
- State Choice Model: The state Medicaid authority selects one or two approved vendors.
- Open Vendor Model: This is a hybrid solution. The state selects a single vendor while allowing providers and MCOs to continue using their existing EVV software systems.
You can read about the importance of EVV in our blog post.
What is EHR
An electronic health record (EHR) is a digital version of a patient’s paper chart. EHRs are secure, real-time records that make information such as medical history, diagnoses, medications, treatment plans, immunizations, allergies, test results, and more available instantly. EHRs are designed to share information with other health care providers, such as laboratories and specialists, so that important care information can be shared with all providers involved in the patient’s care.
What is EMR
An electronic medical record (EMR) is a digital version of a patient’s paper chart and contains the medical and treatment history of patients at one agency. The difference between an EMR and an EHR is the accessibility of the patient’s information by other health care providers. EMRs are usually housed within one system and unable to “travel” to other EMR systems.
What is Health Insurance Portability and Accountability (HIPAA)
HIPAA is a federal law designed to protect patients’ medical records and other health information that is provided to health plans, doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers. Developed by the Department of Health and Human Services, these new standards give patients access to their medical records and more control over how their personal health information is used and disclosed.
Home Care Leads
Home care leads refer to potential clients who are in need of home care services. These leads are individuals who have expressed interest in or have been identified as potential candidates for home care services based on their age, medical condition, or other factors that suggest a need for assistance with daily activities.
What is Home Care Scheduling Software
Home Care scheduling software assists non-medical care providers with scheduling, billing, record keeping, visit verification, and inter-agency communication. (Capterra, 2021)
Home Health Billing Software
Home health billing software allows home care agencies to keep track of the services they provide to clients and the payments they receive for those services. It helps to simplify the billing process, reduce errors, and ensure that the home care agency is paid promptly and accurately for the care they provide.
What is Home Health Care
Home Health Care is medical care provided in the home by a skilled medical professional. Examples of home health care include skilled nursing care, physical, occupational, and speech therapies.
What is Live-In Care
Live-in shifts are scheduled for a 24-hour period.
What is Long-Term Care Insurance
Coverage that helps policyholders pay for long-term care in their home or an assisted living facility.
What is Medicaid
The United States health program for eligible individuals and families with low incomes and resources. States and the U.S. government share the cost of Medicaid, with states administering the program according to federal requirements.
What is Non-Medical Home Care
Non-medical home care refers to support at home that does not involve medical skills; services include light housekeeping, running errands, or offering pleasant companionship.
Personal Care Software
Personal care software is a type of computer program designed to help individuals or home care agencies manage personal care services for clients or patients. This software typically includes a range of features that help with scheduling, record-keeping, billing, and communication between caregivers and clients.
Point of Care Documentation
Point of care documentation (POC) is a process in which providers document patient or client care activities in real-time at the bedside or point of care using electronic health record (EHR) systems, mobile devices, or paper-based documentation tools.
What is Private Duty Care
Unlike traditional in-home care services, private duty nurses provide one-on-one skilled medical care. They are qualified to offer this care in the comfort of the patient’s own home, or in a facility such as a hospital or nursing home. Private duty nurses are Registered Nurses (RNs) or Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs).
Professional Care Match
Professional care match is a process used in-home care services to match a client with a suitable caregiver based on the client’s specific needs, preferences, and care requirements. The process involves assessing the client’s medical condition, physical condition, and personal preferences, as well as the caregiver’s qualifications, skills, and experience. The goal is to find a caregiver who is the best match for the patient’s needs and who can provide high-quality care in a compassionate and supportive manner.
What is Telehealth
Telehealth refers to the remote delivery of care using technology such as landline, mobile phones, and the internet. Remote monitoring of a patient’s situation combined with teleconferencing (when appropriate) allows the patient to remain in the comfort of their own home, saving them the stress of unnecessary travel. This technique has long been used, and beneficially, in the care of dermatology, cardiology, and neurology patients.

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