• As a home care service provider, you have the opportunity to provide in-home care for people in need of personal or medical assistance who wish to remain in their homes. Depending on your background and education, the care provided could be either medical (if you have a health care degree) or personal (such as assistance with housework and meal preparation). Although these services are often provided by an agency, there are also ways to be a private home care service provider.

• If you would like to provide non-medical care, the most common option is to work through an agency, although it is also possible to be hired personally by one or several individuals. Health care professionals often also provide services through an agency. You can also provide services personally to individuals in their homes. A third option is to form a company which hires or contracts people to provide the services.

In summary, the options are:

1. Provide non-medical care by working for an agency.
2. Provide non-medical care by working privately for one or several individuals.
3. If you have the appropriate degree and license: Provide medical care through an agency or privately.
4. Those who work privately can be employed by the individual or their family or they can be self-employed.
5. Another option is to form a company which provides home care services.

• There are a variety of requirements for those who want to provide medical home care. If you want to provide non-medical care, there are few specific requirements, but the person hiring you may have specific requests and some states will have stricter regulations than others. For health care professionals and agencies, the requirements will be more detailed. Besides the necessary requirements, both companies and individuals can choose to attain voluntary certifications and accreditation.

1. Most states have no specific requirements in order for you to work as a non-medical personal aide.
2. The agency or person hiring you may have specific requirements.
3. Requirements by the agency or individual can include a background criminal check, references, drug testing, a related degree and previous experience.
4. To enable your chances of getting a job in the field and to increase your pay rate, you can choose to pursue voluntary certifications. For example, consider becoming a certified nursing assistant. To do so, you will have to complete a training program approved by your state. For more information, visit Mahalo's guide on How to Become a Certified Nursing Assistant - CNA.

1. Doctors who want to provide home health care usually need medical liability insurance and malpractice insurance to protect themselves from lawsuits.
2. Doctors will also need a DEA number (from the Drug Enforcement Administration) to prescribe prescriptions.
3. To bill for their services, doctors will need to be registered with the appropriate health insurances, such as Medicare, Medicaid or private health insurance companies.
4. Registration is not a guarantee to get reimbursed for all services provided for patients who have public health care such as Medicare, as patients typically do not pay for the services upfront. The requirements for services that can be billed will differ depending on the health insurance plan.

1. To find a job through an agency, search for job openings as you would in any other career; through job listings or job ads.
2. Some tips for finding agencies are: the yellow pages, contact the Area Agency on Aging (a national organization) for referrals or ask senior organizations for contact information to agencies in your area.
3. You can also contact the Eldercare Locator (a U.S. government service) which maintains a database of agencies.
4. Those who choose to provide care directly without going through an agency need to find ways to advertise and promote their services and a system for scheduling visits.

1. If you want to form an agency to provide home care, you will have to meet a variety of requirements which will differ depending on the state.
2. Most states require the agency to be licensed.
3. You can also choose to get voluntary certifications and accreditation.
4. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations is a national commission which accredit health agencies.
5. You can also choose to become Medicare-certified.

• If you have started an agency or other company, you need to first meet legal requirements and applicable certifications and acquire the required equipment. There are a variety of other things to consider when forming an agency. Some will vary depending on the state, and others will be needed no matter where your agency is located, such as developing plans to ensure patient confidentiality and developing plans for emergencies. Consult resources for health care agencies for specific information on all necessary steps to take.

• Being a home care service provider, whether it is as a company or an individual, enables you to assist people to remain living in their homes, even though they require certain services. However, it's essential to make sure you follow applicable requirements and guidelines, to assure that the patients receive the best care possible, to assure protection from lawsuits and to make sure you get reimbursed for your services.
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