When qualifying patients are recovering at home after a hospitalization or are in need of extra help with things like wound care and medication management, the Prowers Medical Center Home Health team is available to come to them.

“We’re community nurses who provide hands-on, skilled nursing care in the home to area residents,” said Micaela Aguilera, a Registered Nurse and Home Health Administrator at Prowers Medical Center. “It’s a great benefit to our community.”

Medicare covers short-term home health visits for patients who are homebound and have medical need. Many of these patients have been hospitalized and require temporary assistance regaining independence after discharge. Some private health insurances provide similar coverage, and private pay is also an option.

Medicaid (in Colorado, called Health First Colorado) covers long-term home health services for some patients.

Compassionate Care in the Home

Aguilera’s team consists of five registered nurses, one licensed practical nurse, one CNA and one administrative staff member, who primarily handles billing/coding and serves as receptionist. Many have worked in home health for at least five years, and most are Lamar-area natives. Aguilera herself has been part of the Prowers Medical Center Home Health team since 2002.

“We have such a dedicated staff,” Aguilera said. “They’re very compassionate and giving. We develop relationships with our patients, especially those we’ve had for years. We become a part of their family.”

Together the Home Health nurses provide care to about 90 patients in the Lamar area, roughly from McClave to Holly.  Patients are referred by their primary-care providers. Each new Home Health patient is assigned to one of the nurses and receives a full assessment and individualized Plan of Care, which is developed with input from the patient. After that, patients are typically seen at home by the same nurse and may receive follow-up phone calls in between visits as needed.

Home Health services may include:

  • assessment
  • teaching on disease management
  • wound care
  • diabetes care
  • medication evaluation and management
  • physical therapy

When PT is part of the care plan, Prowers Medical Center PT staff also travel to the patient’s home to provide that service.

Home Health nurses do not provide what are sometimes called “home care” services. These include assistance with normal activities of daily living, such as bathing, dressing and meal preparation. They also do not provide hospice care or live-in care, though they are available on-call to their patients evenings and weekends.

Home Health nurses do, however, help connect their patients to other needed services, such as MedRide, Meals on Wheels and much more. “We figure out ways to get things our patients need whenever we can,” Aguilera said.

Certified and Licensed

Home health service providers are certified and licensed through the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment. Every three years, the CDPHE sends a team of examiners, unannounced, to the Prowers Medical Center Home Health office to assess quality of care. The examiners go over patient charts and also interview patients in their homes.

In January of 2024, Home Health again passed with flying colors—their fourth deficiency-free survey in a row.

“Our team does an excellent job,” Aguilera said. “We’re blessed to be able to provide services for our patients, and I am blessed to have the staff I have.”