Medical Social Services
About Medical Social Services
Medical social workers provide valuable services that help connect patients and their families with community resources for social, emotional, financial and personal support associated with that patient’s illness and recovery.
On their first visit, the medical social worker will perform an initial assessment of your overall well being and support systems. After that, the medical social worker will visit you as necessary. If you need other therapy or nursing services, you will receive an initial assessment and regularly scheduled home visits from those nurses/therapists as well. Doctor’s orders are needed to start care.
Our medical social workers will:
- Help determine you and your family’s needs and identify any barriers that might prevent recovery.
- Provide information about community resources.
- Assist with long-range planning and overall care options.
A typical home health visit from a medical social work may include:
- Giving you information about community resources, financial assistance, emergency planning, advance directives and so much more.
- Helping you plan and coordinate resources and finances.
- Providing short-term therapy, counseling, and crisis intervention.
Technical Terms & Rules
The following are technical terms and state rules for Home Health Medical Social Work:
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Social work services will be provided by a qualified social worker or by a qualified social work assistant under the supervision of a qualified social worker and in accordance with the plan of care as permitted by the Colorado Mental Health Practice Acts (Colorado Revised Statutes, Title 12, Article 43).
- A3-3119.3, HHA-206.3: Medical social services that are provided by a qualified medical social worker or a social work assistant under the supervision of a qualified medical social worker may be covered as home health services where the beneficiary meets the qualifying criteria specified in §30, and:
- The services of these professionals are necessary to resolve social or emotional problems that are or are expected to be an impediment to the effective treatment of the patient’s medical condition or rate of recovery; and
- The plan of care indicates how the services which are required necessitate the skills of a qualified social worker or a social work assistant under the supervision of a qualified medical social worker to be performed safely and effectively.
- Services provided by a physical therapist include:
- Assisting the physician, or intermediate care provider and other team members in understanding the significant social and emotional factors related to the health problems,
- Participating in the development of the plan of care,
- Preparing clinical notes,
- Working with the family,
- Using appropriate community resources,
- Participating in discharge planning and in-service programs, and
- Acting as a consultant to other agency personnel.