Show All Answers

1. Does Acton Nursing Services charge for the home health care services it provides?

Yes, with a few exceptions. Acton Nursing Services accepts Medicare, Medicaid/Mass Health and insurance from most major insurance carriers and bills these carriers at contracted rates for services provided in accordance with an agreed course of treatment and support. In rare instances and at the agency’s discretion, services may be provided to uninsured or underinsured residents of Acton experiencing financial hardship without expectation that the full cost of providing these services will be reimbursed.

2. Who establishes the rates charged by Acton Nursing Services for the home health care it provides?

Reimbursement rates are determined by the payer (Medicare, Medicaid/Mass Health, the Veterans Administration or insurance companies according to their contracts). Medicare reimbursement rates are not negotiable: they are established by Medicare on a national level. Medicaid and Mass Health rates are also non-negotiable and are generally less generous than Medicare.

3. Does Acton Nursing Services accept patients who pay for themselves or whose families/others pay for them? And if so, does ANS have a published price list for patients not covered by insurance?

ANS accepts private patients and charges them at published Medicare rates (per visit, per course of treatment or per outcome, as appropriate). In cases of financial hardship, ANS will accept some percentage of Medicare rates from the patient (determined by ability to pay) with the balance being covered by charitable contributions made to ANS.

4. Does Acton Nursing Services provide subsidized care to Acton residents?

Yes, in some instances. Acton Nursing Services has access to funds created by generous private donations to cover the cost of services provided to a resident of the Town who is unable to pay for part or all of the services prescribed for that resident. Free care is carefully tracked and reported, consistent with HIPAA requirements.

5. What charitable funds are available to residents of Acton who face financial hardship and cannot pay ANS in full for services provided?

Limited funding is available to ANS to cover certain home health care costs for residents of Acton facing financial hardship, including money to pay for prescriptions and equipment and to pay the balance of ANS service bills above the percentage that the patient is able to meet. The Friends of Acton Nursing Services has also provided funds for necessary equipment and other support that an ANS patient needs but cannot afford. The Town does not directly budget funds for ANS to provide services for residents facing financial hardship.

6. Which private insurance carriers cover services provided by ANS?

As of October 2017, ANS has contracts directly or through VNANE (Visiting Nurse Association of New England) with the following insurance companies. Please check with your insurance carrier or with ANS for updates.

Aetna
BCBS of Massachusetts
CareCentrix
Cigna of Massachusetts
Commonwealth Care Alliance
Unicare State Indemnity Plan
Connecticare
Fallon Community Health Plan
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
Health New England
Masshealth
MultiPlan
Neighborhood Health Plan
Network Health
Oxford Health Plan
Prime Health Services
Senior Home Health
Tufts Health Plan
Veterans’ Administration