If you are considering a quality ethical and caring Home Health Company DO NOT choose this company. The staff provided appear to be of good quality but the office staff is the worst most corrupt and incompetent types you'll ever find.
Don't be fooled by that sales technique the Community Liason Jay Heiseler tells about the owner Alysa Sigmund who he claims lost her father due to very poor, uncompassionate and inadequate care provided her father via a certain Home Health and later Hospice Care.
He claims it was this experience that inspired Alysa Sigmund (Owner/Administrator) to create her own quality Home Health Company. Jay also likes to tell stories about how Integrity Home Health Office Staff GO ABOVE & BEYOND for their clients that all they do is Client Oriented and they are aware of HOW MUCH MONEY they are paid from Medicare/Medicaid and are mindful of providing the Absolute Maximum Services they can provide for the client considering that budget EVEN IF THEY MAKE VERY LITTLE PROFIT.
Mr. Jay even states they will advocate and fight the insurance companies for coverage or extended coverage and arent afraid of submitting Prior Authorizations requests to Secondary Insurance like Nevada Medicaid to make it happen, because again they CARE ONLY ABOUT THEIR CLIENTS NEEDS.
Well here's my experience with these people having acted as representative for an elderly bed confined family member with multiple conditions that used their service. Alysa Sigmund is a cold hearted individual whose ONLY CONCERN IS TO MAKE MONEY.
Speaking to this lady you quickly find that she sounds more like a witch rather than an angel and that Mr. Heiseler story is probably a convenient lie and ploy to trap people into trying this lousy service.
In this case despite there is No Mandate by Medicare & Medicaid to obtain a copy of the Power Of Attorney from the representative (s) for Home Health Services to continue when there exists Doctors Orders that the patients requires them this woman Alysa Sigmund constantly harasses and begins to threaten discharge or reduction of services that are NOT ACCORDING TO MEDICARE/MEDICAID GUIDELINES or anything that would indicate NON COVERAGE.
In our case the client was under the care of FAMILY CAREGIVERS where a Next Of Kin was present. A Power Of Attorney does in fact exist but is kept at a safety deposit box at a local bank and considering the patients needs are 24/7 made it inconvenient to go retrieve it just to give a copy to this hateful individual.
Anyone that has any understanding of HIPAA should know there are alternative ways of establishing credentials or authority to discuss or direct care of an incapacitated individual especially in the case of a family member and next of kin at that.
Furthermore my loved one was with this agency probably 4 weeks during which times certain promises by Jay and the Nursing Supervisor as to the amount of coverage for her care by an RN were NOT PROVIDED.
She had been discharged from her last hospital stay requiring MULTIPLE SKILLED FUNCTIONS to be performed by a RN such as IV Infusion Antibiotics, Care of a Picc Line, Nephrostomy Bag and its care, Foley Catheter, Tube Feedings, multiple skilled dressing changes including wound care (skin breakdown/sores) o2 monitoring/bipap administration, blood thinning by injection, just to name a few.
The so called promises that an "RN would be staffed EVERY DAY for the First Week" DIDNOT HAPPEN. Alysa was attempting to deny a CNA on the pre-tenses of a a family member serving as PCA which is ERRONEOUS & PURPOSEFUL TACTIC utilized to pocket a greater Share of the Medicare/Medicaid moneys.
Medicare is the Primary Payer and Medicaid Secondary Payer, Medicare covers FIRST the Maximum number of Home health Aide (CNA) visits the patient requires per Doctor orders in conjunction with Family Cargiver input and THEN MEDICAID COVERS ADDITIONAL TASKS BY AWARDING TIMES TO THE PCA.
In the case of a bed bound individual who is incontinent for both bladder and bowel a patient may need to undergo MORE than 2 Bed Baths per day and there is NO "Duplication Of Services" BECAUSE THE PATIENT REQUIRES THE INCREASED AMOUNT OF CARE. People who have common sense or any remote medical training and been exposed to the realities of the bed bound patient who are prone to skin breakdowns due to the chemical reaction of stool plus urine touching the skin for extended periods of times know what I'm talking about here.
In addition Alysa Sigmund was attempting to DENY all Therapy Services such Physical Therapist, Occupational Therapist and ultimately only provided 2 visits from a PT. Mrs. Alysa Sigmund stated that in the case of a bed confined contracted individual MEDICARE DOESNOT PAY FOR THERAPY SERVICES because "IT WOULD BE A WASTE, SOMEONE LIKE THAT WON'T IMPROVE AND WE NEED TO DOCUMENT MARKED IMPROVEMENT."
Speaking to anyone who has done their own research on this subject you will find a wealth of information available through the Centers For Medicare & Medicaid website that gives you access to PUBLIC INFORMATION such as the Medicare Manuals and CODIFICATIONS OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS in addition to Medicaid State Plans, and approved Medicaid Waivers. DONOT be fooled by these unethical companies who are only in the business to MAKE MONEY who attempt to Defraud and Insult your intelligence with Absurd Falsities as to Medicare/Medicaid Insurance Coverages.
Alot of these companies operate under the "PLATEAU MYTH" principle that is to say they claim that Medicare/Medicaid will ONLY pay for Physical & Occupational Therapy only when DRAMATIC/MARKED IMPROVEMENT can be documented objectively on paper.
However, reading the Medicare Regulation Manuals regarding Home Health will reveal to you that Medicare DOES IN FACT pay for Therapist involvement to formulate and administer a "MAINTENANCE PROGRAM" designed to PREVENT FURTHER DETERIORATION AND TO AVOID THE LOSS OF ANY IMPROVEMENT GAINED VIA THERAPY INTERVENTIONS.
The CFR specifically mandate the PT & OT to stay on the case to REGULARLY MONITOR the condition of the patient to ENSURE that those Family Caregivers they have trained to provide Therapy/Range Of Motions on behalf of the patient are AVOIDING any Further Deterioration to their Limbs and ACTUALLY SUSTAIN ANY IMPROVEMENTS in RANGE OF MOTION ACHIEVED.
Also keep in mind that per the Medicare Regulations Local and National Coverage Determinations and the CODIFICATION OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS MULTIPLE PHYSICIANS can order Therapy based on Multiple Reasonings or Conditions and the Therapy Services can be provided by more than one company and or combination of Therapists EVEN CON-CURRENTLY.
Ultimately what happened is that Alysa Sigmund DUMPED my loved one WITHOUT ANY HOME HEALTH COVRAGE and WITHOUT NOTIFYING HER PHYSICIAN and to us she committed a most DESPICABLE and UNETHICAL ACTION and that was the issuance of a Home Health Advance Beneficiary Notice that stated they were REDUCING or or Discontinuing Skilled Nursing, Phyisical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Home Health Aide, Medical Social Services with the reason: "Non Compliance With Medicare Rules" containing 3 other suggested Home Health Companies and in ADDITION a "Notice Of Medicare Provider Non-Coverage" which were BOTH DATED THE EXACT SAME DAY as the Hand delivery by the assigned RN Nurse!
Anyone that is familiar with BIPA legislation (Benefit Improvement Protection Act) knows that the Home Health Company is mandated to provide the Notice (s) 48 HOURS BEFOR THE EFFECTIVE DATE. This allows you to request a Fast Track Appeal through the QIO whose deadline is 12:00 Noon on the DAY BEFORE THE EFFECTIVE DATE. I have not even mentioned the various violatons committed against ADA, Olmstead and Nevada Revised Statutes concerning quality medical care by such organizations as a HOME HEALTH.
In other words this was a conspiratorial and PRE-MEDITATED evil act to NOT only Discharge the Client but to attempt to REMOVE ANY APPEAL RIGHTS. I did contact the QIO on the Exact Same Day and the Home Health Company subsequently FAILED after being contacted by QIO to provide the MANDATORY "DETAILED NOTICE" by the END OF THAT BUSINESS DAY.
We are therefore taking steps to submit reviews Online for all those diligent researchers who are looknig for a Home Health Company for themselves or a loved one so they can know what type of Company this really is because "INTEGRITY" they DONOT HAVE. We are also filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, The Bureau Of Licensure & Certification, Medicare, CMS, Regional Home Health Intermediary and may contemplate civil actions.
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