Skilled Nursing Care at Home
Skilled nursing care at home is clinical care delivered in the home by a licensed nurse, covering tasks that legally require a nursing license such as wound care, injections, IV therapy, catheter and ostomy care, and clinical assessment.
Reviewed by Valerie VanBooven, RN, BSN
What's Included
- Wound care and dressing changes, including surgical and pressure wounds
- Injections, infusion, and IV therapy
- Catheter, ostomy, and feeding tube care
- Medication administration and management of complex regimens
- Clinical monitoring of vital signs, symptoms, and changes in condition
- Teaching the person and their family to manage care between visits
Who It's For
Someone whose care includes tasks a licensed nurse must perform, whether after surgery or hospitalization, while managing a complex condition, or as part of long-term care at home.
Understanding Skilled Nursing Care at Home
Skilled nursing at home is delivered by a registered nurse or licensed practical nurse and covers work that cannot legally be delegated to an unlicensed caregiver. That legal line is the clearest way to tell it apart from personal care.
It arrives in two very different shapes. Intermittent visits are short and scheduled, perhaps a nurse coming several times a week to change a dressing, and are usually part of a home health episode ordered by a physician. Private duty nursing is continuous, with a nurse present for shifts at a time, and is more common for ventilator care, complex pediatric cases, and long-term high-acuity needs.
Those two shapes are paid for very differently. Intermittent skilled nursing is frequently covered under a home health benefit when eligibility criteria are met, while continuous private duty nursing is often private pay, long-term care insurance, or a Medicaid waiver.
Coverage, eligibility, and what a physician must certify vary by payer and by state. A provider's intake team, the ordering physician, and the plan itself are the sources that can say what applies to a specific situation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is skilled nursing care at home?
Skilled nursing care at home is clinical care delivered in the home by a licensed nurse, covering tasks that legally require a nursing license such as wound care, injections, IV therapy, catheter and ostomy care, and clinical assessment.
Who is skilled nursing care at home for?
Someone whose care includes tasks a licensed nurse must perform, whether after surgery or hospitalization, while managing a complex condition, or as part of long-term care at home.
Other Services
How to Get Skilled Nursing Care at Home
Enter a city and state below to find home care providers in the Care Across America directory who serve that area. Contact them directly to ask whether they offer skilled nursing care at home and to get pricing for your situation.