Home Health Care
Saint Luke’s offers home health care services to patients recovering from illness or injury, or those who need extra help to remain safely in their home.
Serving 22 counties in Missouri and Kansas, our specially-trained nurses, therapists, and other skilled staff partner with patients to help them achieve their goals under their physicians’ direct supervision. We assist patients with:
- Physical, occupational, and speech rehabilitation
- Dietary and nutrition services
- Medication management and education
- Chronic disease management and education
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) program
- Cardiac care management
- Cancer care
- Geriatric care
- Infusion services
- Wound and ostomy care
- Palliative care and advanced illness management
- Social services
We offer around the clock support with on-call clinicians available 24/7 and telehealth technology that allows us to monitor and communicate with patients any time.
Saint Luke’s Home Care has one of the lowest hospital readmission rates in the region, a testament to our high-quality care.
Care navigation
Beyond providing quality health care, our team is also dedicated to helping patients navigate the continuum of care as their needs change. Our specially-trained transitional care nurses are certified in care coordination and transition management (CCTM). They work as a bridge for patients and their families from one level of care to the next. CCTM nurses help coordinate care between specialists, hospital visits, outpatient appointments, tests, procedures, medications, and follow-up appointments.
Real-time care with telehealth
Saint Luke’s Home Care uses an advanced remote monitoring system to improve health outcomes and enhance quality of care by monitoring patients’ needs at home in real time. It allows eligible patients to talk with a nurse via video-chat and send alerts about their condition using a tablet and Bluetooth device.
The technology allows remote tracking of patients’ vital signs, including oxygen level, blood pressure, temperature, weight, and blood sugar. The real-time data flows to the care team, who can intervene when needed and collaborate with patients, caregivers, and providers on next steps. Patients can view educational videos about their specific conditions to ensure retention of information. Remote monitoring assists patients for the critical first 30 days after a hospital discharge.
This tele-monitoring technology helps patients avoid unnecessary hospital readmissions and emergency department visits by asking disease- and symptom-specific questions to help them better manage their health.
Studies find that readmission rates dramatically decrease—on average by 70 percent—when patients use in-home technology.
Call 816-756-1160 for more information, including whether you or your patient qualifies for home health care.
Specialized Services
COPD Program
The COPD program offered by Saint Luke’s Home Care & Hospice helps patients manage their condition and avoid returning to the hospital or visiting the emergency department.
To be eligible for this program, patients must have a primary diagnosis of COPD and one of the following:
- Moderate to severe COPD (FEV1 <79%)
- Two or more hospitalizations due to COPD exacerbations in the last 12 months
How it works:
- We meet with the patient within 24 hours of referral.
- Specially-trained nurses and therapists work closely together to teach patients effective breathing techniques and medication management.
- Each patient receives a personalized program based on such tools as the UCSD Medical Center Shortness of Breath Questionnaire and the Ventilatory Response Index.
- Using patient-completed activity logs, we monitor the patients’ progress and offer an action plan for good, bad, and very bad days.
- Therapies are reinforced through motivational coaching and educational materials.
- Home visits are concentrated in the first weeks, and then taper off as patients improve.
Cardiac Care Management
Cardiac home care helps heart patients recover in the comfort of their own homes, with care from experienced nurses and the most up-to-date technology.
Saint Luke’s home health services include cardiac monitoring, medication management and monitoring, cardiopulmonary physical therapy, infusion services, and education for better self-care.
Our cardiac home care team treats patients with a wide range of cardiovascular conditions, including heart failure, COPD, and vascular conditions.
Saint Luke’s Advanced Care Pharmacy
Saint Luke’s Advanced Care Pharmacy provides specialty and home infusion medications to patients with complex conditions.
We provide medication services for a variety of needs from cancer and transplant regimens to medications for patients who are managing a chronic illness. Our clinical staff includes a specialized team of home infusion pharmacists, IV nurses, and certified pharmacy technicians who all have completed extensive training. We begin working with patients before they leave the hospital to ensure a smooth transition home.
Our team administers:
- Antibiotics
- Cardiac medications
- Immunoglobulins
- IV hydration
- Nutrition
- Steroid therapy
- Total parenteral nutrition
Along with addressing problems and providing follow-up care, we help with everything from arranging delivery options and providing counseling to simplifying the insurance experience and assisting with financial options.
Our pharmacists are on call 24/7 to assist both patients and providers. We are able to ship equipment and medications throughout all of Missouri and Kansas.
Full Spectrum of Services
Chronic disease management
- Self-management strategies
- Telemonitoring
- Inotropic drugs
- Intravenous diuretic therapy
- Medications
- Telemonitoring
- Palliative care services
Cancer care
- Central line care
- IV antibiotics
- Wound care
- Palliative care services
Rehabilitation
Physical therapy
- Home safety evaluation
- Home exercise program
- Cardiopulmonary treatments
- Pain management
- Therapeutic exercise
- Muscle re-education
- Ultrasound
- Electrical stimulation
- Gait/transfer training
- Wheelchair training
- Prosthetic/pre-prosthetic training
Occupational therapy
- Daily living skills/adaptive equipment
- Home modification
- Therapeutic exercise
- Sensory treatments
- Muscle re-education/fine motor education
- Perceptual motor training
- Orthotics/splinting
Speech therapy
- Swallowing difficulty (dysphagia) treatments
- Speech articulation disorder treatments
- Voice disorders treatment
- Cognitive/communication treatments
- Language disorders treatments
- Non-oral communications
- Assessment of social, economic, and emotional needs
- Crisis intervention and emergency services
- Guidance with planning and decision-making
- Counseling on adjusting and managing conditions
- Evaluation of additional medical or community services
- Education on community resources
- Watching for signs of potential abuse or neglect
Call 816-756-1160 for more information, including whether you or your patient qualifies for home health care.
