What is Private Duty Nursing?
Private duty nursing (PDN) allows medically fragile patients to receive quality, skilled nursing care in the comfort of their home: a setting preferred by most patients and their families. Essentially, private duty nursing provides the same level of care a person would receive in a skilled nursing facility or hospital - in their own home.
Private duty nurses provide long-term, comprehensive hourly nursing care and are skilled in managing medical equipment and technology. A patient will typically have a nurse in the home anywhere from 8 to 24 hours per day. Private duty nursing is also sometimes referred to as continuous skilled nursing, hourly skilled nursing or shift nursing.
Who Needs a Private Duty Nurse?
Private duty nurses take care of patients of all ages. This can include children who require medical care due to a congenital condition or disease or adults who need continuous care for conditions like ALS, Parkinson’s disease, or after a stroke.
Some examples of medical conditions that warrant private duty nursing include:
We are dedicated to providing compassionate patient care and top-notch customer service by hiring experienced healthcare professionals. All of our nurses are fully screened and credentialed, and have experience providing care for patients with a variety of conditions. We provide:
- Ventilator and tracheostomy care
- G-tube care and management
- Diabetes management
- Seizure management
- Respiratory management
- TPN infusion / Central Line management
- Administering medications
In addition to these services, our nurses will communicate any changes in patient condition to the office and physicians, reinforce education provided by hospital staff, promote education in the home, coordinate home medical equipment and supplies and assist with appointments. They can also help with personal care and meal preparation.
What Care Does a Private Duty Nurse Provide?
Private duty nurses provide one-on-one patient centered care, specifically tailored to the unique health challenges and needs of their individual. Private duty nurses provide this care to patients who have both a chronic condition requiring skilled care and need for more care than can be provided by just a visiting nurse (8 to 24 hours oer day of care). These nurses are skilled at performing physician-ordered clinical interventions for patients with complex medical care needs including:
- Ventilator care & management
- Tracheostomy care & management
- Feeding tube care (G-Tube, J-Tube, NG-Tube, etc) & feeding
- & Other special medical equipment & technology needs
Who Pays for Care?
At Interim HealthCare, our commitment above all else is to be at your side, on your side, every step of the way from day one and every day thereafter. Apart of being there for your and your loved ones, making you or your loved one gets the care needed, the most important part of which is making sure services are authorized and funded.
While privately paying for services is always an option, there are many insurance plans as well as most state Medicaid programs, which will pay for services. We will coordinate, bill directly, and handle the paperwork ourselves. In other words, we take care of the details so you can focus on your family.
Often this benefit is separate from a typical home health benefit. Private duty nursing is covered by a variety of health insurances, such as:
- Commercial insurance
- Medicaid Waiver Programs
- Tricare
- Veterans Affairs
- Worker's Compensation
- Healthcare trusts & medical funds
- & more
The process to verify benefits and obtain authorizations can take more time than a typical home care authorization, so it is important to start to inquire about private duty nursing as soon as possible if you believe that a patient may qualify. Time is needed for the private duty nursing agency to find a nurse who is available and specifically trained for a patient’s unique needs.
If you think this is a service you or your loved one may need, contact us today for more information & to begin the process. You can reach the Interim HealthCare of Augusta office by calling (706) 550-1107 or emailing [email protected] or select the “Contact Us” option on this website to have a member of the Interim Augusta Team to contact you today.
How to Know If a Person Qualifies for Private Duty Nursing
Home healthcare agencies are available as a resource to help you determine whether a patient qualifies for private duty nursing. Some even specialize in working with insurance companies and obtaining authorization on the patient’s behalf.
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