The Top Home Health (Skilled Nursing) Care Providers in the U.S.

Long-term care involves a wide variety of services, ranging from facility care like nursing homes and assisted living facilities to community-based services. However, today, we want to focus on medical and skilled care provided in a home setting, also known as home health care.  

Receiving care at home is the most preferred and popular way to receive long-term care today. In this article, we'll explore some of the top providers of home healthcare services in the United States. Keep in mind that this is not a comprehensive list of every care provider.

Our goal is to help you get familiar with your options for home health care, and learn about the different services each company offers so you can choose one that works best for your situation. 

If you already know you need to find care but don't know where to start, then LTC News is here to help. LTC News's Care Directory tool can help you find care near you or your loved one right now. This resource has thousands of listings from all over the country, so you can compare high-quality caregiving services that you know are available close to home. 

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What’s The Difference Between Home Care and Home Health Care?

Within the umbrella of in-home care, there are two types of home services: home health care and home care. Some companies may refer to these types of care with different names, but the premise is the same. As we dive into the top home care providers list below, we should first define what home care and home health care are. 

In most circumstances, home health care is defined as medical or skilled nursing services provided at home. This involves specialized care services aimed at helping those with chronic conditions or those recovering from injuries, surgeries, or illnesses. Care provided under home health care often involves wound care, medication management, or other skilled nursing tasks. 

Home care or personal care, on the other hand, is more focused on helping with activities of daily living and other custodial responsibilities. This article does not discuss any home care providers. If you're looking for home or personal care services, we recommend reaching out to our partner Amada Senior Care. You can also use the LTC News Caregiver Directory to search for caregivers, including home health agencies, senior communities, and long-term care facilities, with just a few clicks. 

You can think of home or personal care as long-term care and home health care as medical care provided at home. As our review continues, we'll further define other types of care services as they appear. 

Below, we've picked out a list of the top providers of home health care across the country. This list doesn't go in any particular order, but it should give you an idea of who your options are for skilled and medical care provided at home.  

Home Care Resource: Amada Senior Care

The list below this section focuses on skilled home care, but at LTC News, we like to provide holistic resources for our readers.

To that end, we’ve been proud to partner with Amada Senior Care on a variety of care needs. Amada has been a trusted partner for home care services for tens of thousands of people across the U.S. 

Amada Senior Care specializes in providing non-medical care to seniors in need. They have over 150 locations and have helped more than 100,000 people across the country. 

They offer multiple home care services, including:

• Help with activities of daily living.

• Light housekeeping.

• Medication reminders.

• Errands and shopping.

• Companionship.

• Meal preparation and clean up.

• Support for chronic illnesses like dementia or Alzheimer's.

• Support for physical activity and light exercise.

• Transportation to and from appointments. 

To find care near you through their network, you can use Amada’s care finder tool.

While Amada doesn’t focus on home health care like the organizations below, it can be a great resource in your search if you’re not in need of skilled care services.

1. Amedisys Home Health 

To start our home health provider list, we have Amedisys. They're one of the largest home health providers in the U.S. Amedisys is headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and provides care to over 418,000 people each year. 

The company started in 1982 and has since experienced significant growth, with over 500 locations across 39 states and 21,000 employees. Amedisys is nationally accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Health Care and is rated as one of the best quality providers. 

Amedisys specializes in home health care, which means medical and skilled nursing care provided at home. Here are a few of their service offerings: 

• Skilled nursing care

• Physical therapy

• Occupational therapy

• Speech therapy

• Home health aide care

• Medical social worker

• Wound care

• Mental health care at home

• Specialty programs: heart failure, COPD, fall reduction, and diabetes management

Since Amedisys focuses solely on home health care and skilled medical care, their services are often covered by Medicare for eligible patients. Those eligible for Medicaid or those with private health insurance may also be able to use their policies to cover the cost of home health care with Amedisys. 

2. Enhabit Home Health & Hospice

Enhabit Home Health & Hospice is one of the largest providers of Medicare-certified skilled home services. Enhabit started back in 1998 and is currently headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

In the past year, Enhabit Home Health & Hospice has cared for over 228,000 people across 365 locations. They operate in 34 states and employ over 10,000 people.

As far as care services go, Enhabit focuses solely on home health care and hospice care. They also offer specialty care programs catered towards individuals with unique needs. 

Within their home health specialty program, they offer:

• Post-operative care – This program focuses on helping individuals recover from surgery. It involves working with patients to evaluate their needs and assess expectations on what to expect during recovery. 

• Balance and fall prevention – This program helps individuals assess how dangerous their homes are to prevent falls and increase home safety. 

• Cardiopulmonary – This specialty program helps individuals learn more about their conditions and how they can better manage their symptoms and health.  

• Community care program - This program helps individuals already receiving care within assisted living facilities or through other community-based services. The goal is to provide consistent care and fill the gaps when needed. 

• Care transition program – This program works directly with hospitals to ensure patients' needs and paperwork are sorted before they're discharged from the hospital. 

• Care connections program – This program helps keep track of patients' varying care needs and provides continued re-evaluation. 

3. Compassus

Compassus is a national provider of home health care operating in 30 states. It values its patients, with its slogan being "Care for who I am." Compassus is dedicated to providing unique and specialized care to every individual they help.

Compassus offers many care services under the umbrella of home health care. These include:

• Skilled nursing care.

• Home infusion therapy.

• Pain management.

• Wound care.

• Post-operative care.

• Balance and mobility assistance.

• Evaluating conditions and medical equipment.

• Physical, occupational, and speech therapy.

• Education for patients and family members.

• Help managing chronic conditions. 

4. LHC Group 

The LHC Group is a large organization offering both in-home and facility care services. They live by the motto "It's all about helping more people."

LHC Group was founded in 1994 and currently employs over 27,000 people across their locations in 38 states. What separates LHC Group from others is its extensive network of partnerships with hospitals and care locations across the country. They're the preferred in-home care solution for over 400 hospitals in the U.S.

The LHC Group offers both home health care and facility care services, but for the purposes of this review, we’ll be focusing on their home health care offerings:

• Help recovering from a surgery, illness, or injury.

• Help managing a chronic condition such as diabetes or kidney disease.

• Wound care.

• Managing dietary needs or restrictions. 

• Evaluating treatment methods and progress.

• Help with mobility problems. 

• Skilled nursing and medical treatment. 

Medicare will cover the cost of home health care for eligible participants. Specific Medicaid, private health insurance policies, or VA benefits may also cover some of the cost for eligible individuals. 

5. Aveanna Healthcare

Aveanna Healthcare is a national home health provider with over 40 years of experience. Aveanna operates over 300 locations across 33 states, helping over 40,000 people.

Medicare covers home health care provided by Aveanna. This can include different medical professionals such as nurses, therapists, or care aides providing personalized care in the comfort of your home.

Aveanna's home health service offerings include:

• Personal care plan.

• Help managing chronic conditions like diabetes or heart disease.

• Medication management.

• One-on-one medical support.

• Education about conditions and treatment plans.

• Skilled nursing care.

• Physical, occupational, and speech therapy.

• Psychological services.

6. Trinity Health at Home

Trinity Health at Home is one of the largest Catholic healthcare providers in the country. Founded in Michigan in 1986, it has expanded to over 120 continuing care locations across 22 states.

Trinity Health at Home provides several different types of care services, and some are covered under PACE and Medicare. Their services include:

• Skilled nursing.

• Rehabilitative therapy and services.

• Medication management.

• Wound care.

• Counseling.

• Education on conditions and treatment plans.

• Spiritual care.

One thing that stands out about Trinity Health at Home is its extensive Care Connect program.

In addition to regular home visits from nurses, patients will receive an easy-to-use tablet that allows them to access virtual nursing services 24/7. Patients can use this tablet to record their symptoms and condition each day so that their care team can accurately adjust their medications and treatment plan. 

7. Centerwell Home Health

CenterWell Home Health boasts over 50 years of experience providing home health care to millions of people. CenterWell offers high-quality care services with a diverse team of medical professionals. Their reach expands to 38 states, with over 360 locations, helping over 365,000 people each year.

Care professionals like nurses, therapists, and social workers work hard at CenterWell to help patients manage their conditions. They offer home health care, including skilled nursing, medication management, and more. Here are a few notable programs offered:

• Daily Difference with Diabetes – A program dedicated to helping educate those living with diabetes about their condition and help them manage symptoms better.

• Keeping Hearts at Home – This program focuses on treating and managing heart disease symptoms and delaying the onset of worsening ailments.

• PRIME Wound Care – This program helps individuals manage their wounds and helps restore skin health.

• Safe Strides – This program centers around fall prevention and works with individuals to create a safer home environment and heal their habits to discourage falls or injuries.

CenterWell Home Health services may be 100% covered by Medicare or Medicaid for eligible individuals. 

8. Residential Home Health

Residential Home Health was founded in 2001 in Michigan. While their reach focuses mostly on midwestern states, they're still a great overall care provider.

Residential Home Health offers risk assessment, a multidisciplinary care team, and specialized programs. Services are also often covered under Medicare, often for cheaper than many facility-based Medicare services.

Some specialized programs offered include:

• Fall risk.

• Dementia or Alzheimer's.

• Cardiopulmonary disorders.

• Joint replacement recovery.

• Neurological disorders.

• Diabetes.

• Anxiety and depression.

• Pain and symptom management.

9. Visiting Nurses Association (VNA)

VNA Home Health, or the Visiting Nurses Association, has branches in many major regions of the country. VNA started over a hundred years ago and today services thousands of people nationwide.

VNA Home Health services may vary depending on your area, but most include:

• Visiting nurses and skilled nursing care.

• Physical, occupational, and speech therapy.

• Telehealth care.

• Medical social services.

You can look up VNA in your state or city to find out if there's a branch near you. Some popular metro regions with VNAs include Chicago metro, NYC and New Jersey, New England, and southern California. 

10. Mission Healthcare

Mission Healthcare is a home health provider servicing the western half of the country. They operate 33 locations across seven states and serve thousands of people each year.

Mission Healthcare believes the continuum of care should be readily available at home, helping seniors and those struggling with health ailments receive care comfortably.

They offer several home health care services, including:

• Skilled nursing care.

• Physical therapy.

• Occupational therapy.

• Speech therapy.

• Medical social worker services.

• Dietary counseling.

• Medical equipment and supplies.

Choosing the Best Home Health Care Provider 

Choosing the best quality home health care provider for you or your loved one is a deeply personal decision. While we understand that this isn't a comprehensive list, we hope this review can help broaden your horizons on the endless possibilities of home care.  

We'd also like to remind you that while this list focused solely on skilled care and home health care, Amada Senior Care is our preferred and recommended provider for any personal care services delivered at home. 

In addition to these companies, LTC News can also help you find the best-personalized care in your area. Our Care Directory contains thousands of listings of care providers and locations so you can find a care provider that works well for you or your loved one. 

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Care Directory

Comprehensive caregiving & care facility listings in your area

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LTC News also hosts several caregiving resources that may help you as you continue to think about and experience long-term care:

• Caregiving 101: Types of Caregiving and Selecting a Caregiver – This article discusses the various types of caregivers and situations when you may prefer one caregiver over another.

• The Long-Term Care Spectrum: From Independent Living to Skilled Nursing – Everyone falls somewhere on the long-term care spectrum, from not needing any care to needing help with most aspects of daily life. This article explains which types of facilities or caregiving services you may need at each level of care.