Wichita Home Health Blog · Issue No. 1 – Patient Rights & Education
Published Tuesday, June 29, 2026 · 5-minute read
You Have the Right to Choose Your Home Health Agency
Most patients never hear these four words from their hospital or doctor’s office — but knowing them could change the care you receive at home.
Every year, thousands of Medicare and Medicaid patients are discharged from hospitals, rehab facilities, and clinics across North Texas — and many of them are simply handed a referral slip with one agency’s name on it. No comparison. No conversation. No choice.
What most patients don’t know is that federal law gives them the explicit right to select any Medicare-certified home health agency they prefer. That right exists whether your doctor, hospital discharge planner, or insurance coordinator suggests a different agency or not.
“Under Medicare, no hospital, physician, or discharge planner can require you to use a specific home health agency. The choice is yours — always.”
What the Law Actually Says
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) makes this clear in its Conditions of Participation. A patient who qualifies for home health services under Medicare Part A or Part B has the right to choose from any certified agency serving their area. Discharge planners are required to present you with a list of available agencies — not guide you to just one.
This rule also extends to Medicare Advantage plans. While your plan may have a network of preferred providers, you still retain the right to discuss your options and advocate for the agency you trust.
Your Four Core Rights as a Home Health Patient
1. The Right to Choose: You may select any Medicare-certified home health agency in your area. No provider — including the one who treated you in the hospital — can make that decision for you.
2. The Right to a Full List: Your discharge planner or physician’s office must provide you with a complete list of Medicare-certified agencies serving your location, not just one or two names.
3. The Right to Change Agencies: If you begin services with one agency and feel unsatisfied, you have the right to transfer your care to a different agency. Your physician will simply send orders to the new provider.
4. The Right to Ask Questions: You may ask any agency about their staffing, response times, specialty services, languages spoken, and quality outcomes before you commit to receiving care from them.
What to Ask Before You Choose
When you or a loved one is being discharged, take sixty seconds to ask the following before signing any referral paperwork:
✓Are you Medicare-certified and actively accepting new patients? Ensure the agency you choose can begin services promptly.
✓Do you serve my specific zip code or county? Rural communities across our region deserve the same access to care as larger cities.
✓What skilled services do you offer? Skilled nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and wound care are all potential Medicare-covered benefits.
✓What is your on-call availability? Needs don’t keep office hours. Know how the agency responds after hours and on weekends.
You Deserve to Be Informed — Not Just Assigned
Home health is not a commodity. It is a continuation of your medical care, delivered in the most personal setting possible — your own home, around your family, in your own routine. The agency you choose will spend time with you that your doctor’s office simply cannot.
That’s why we believe every patient in North and Central Texas deserves to make this decision with full information. Our commitment is to be transparent, to answer every question, and to earn your trust before you ever sign anything.
If you or someone you love has recently been discharged or is preparing for a procedure, reach out to us before you accept a referral. We’ll walk you through your options honestly — even if that means helping you evaluate multiple agencies.
We Serve Your Community
Wichita Home Health Service, Inc.
“Quality Care Since 1969”