8400 Bustleton Avenue
STE 303
Philadelphia, PA 19152
(800) 383-2452
Q. What area are your services available?
A. We service 10 counties in Pennsylvania: Bucks, Berks, Carbon, Chester, Delaware, Lehigh, Montgomery, Philadelphia, Schuylkill, and Northampton.
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Q. Can I choose a home care provider?
A. According to Federal law, home care clients have the freedom to choose which agency or person will provide their home care services. Section 1802 of the Social Security Act "seeks to ensure that free choice is guaranteed to all Medicare Patients." The law states: "Any individual entitled to insurance benefits under this title [i.e., Medicare] may obtain health services from any institution, agency, or person qualified to participate under this title if such institution, agency, or person undertakes to provide him such services."
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Q. What are your fees?
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A. DSS bill on an hourly basis most of the time. The hours required to properly care for our loved one will be determined on the initial assessment interview and reviewed on an ongoing basis. Please contact us to learn more about our pricing.
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Q. Does a patient have to be hospitalized in order to be entitled to home care?
A. Participants do not have to be hospitalized to be entitled to home care. Your physician can make a referral after a clinic visit or whenever the doctor determines there is a need for services.
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Q. Who will pay for the services?
A. Services are covered by Medicare and Medicaid, and other private insurances. Prior to providing services, we will verify coverage with Medicaid or private insurance carrier. We also accept private pay as well. We accept Visa, Mastercard and Discover.
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Q. Will personal information be kept private?
A. DSS and all each contractual providers are HIPPA (Health Information Privacy and Portability Act) compliant. We safeguard personal and medical information by making them available only to staff members who are involved in direct care.
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Q. Do you provide care in facilities also?
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A. Yes. Our Direct Care Workers can provide services in hospitals, assisted living facilities, nursing homes, long-term rehabilitation facilities and other places.
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Q. How do you select your caregivers?
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A. All of our caregivers are carefully interviewed and screened prior to becoming employees of DSS. Including, but, not limited, a 10-panel drug screening, criminal background check. Our caregivers are certified or licensed in the State of Pennsylvania.
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Q. Are family members involved?
A. Since home care is an intermittent type of service, participants and their family are expected to participate in their care. Our staff members are here to educate, train and assist participants in managing their condition, treatment, and other procedures that needs to be done in the home.
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Q. How long does it take to get a caregiver?
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A. That depends on your schedule. We will meet with you for an initial interview to assess your needs. After we fully understand what you are looking for, we can place a caregiver within a very short period of time. We are continuously interviewing, qualifying, and training caregivers to be sure we can meet your particular needs.
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Q. If a client is admitted to the hospital, will services resume after discharge?
A. While a participant is in the hospital we will be in contact with family members and their physician. Upon discharge, we will request discharge information from the hospital so we can continue with services when they get home.
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Q. What happens if a client gets better?
A. Our staff will do an ongoing evaluation of their condition. If they determine that they are well enough to take care of themselves, they will ask the physician for an order to discharge a client from the program.
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Q. Can services be cancelled?
A. Yes. DSS require that clients submit in writing at least 10 days advance notice of the intent of the home care agency to terminate services.
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Q. What are your hours of operation?
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A. DSS office hours are 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Our Direct Care Workers are available 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, and 365 days a year.
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Q. Do you offer after hours response time?
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A. Yes. If you call our office after hours, whether in the evenings, weekends, or holidays, we will guarantee that you will receive a call back within twenty (24) hours of the initial call.