Treatment at home: what you need to know about your options

We’re giving our eligible members options around the types of treatment available at home to help you stay in control of your health journey and get the help you need, when you need it. At home treatment could see you leave hospital sooner after a procedure, or potentially, where appropriate, skip hospital altogether.

In response to the shifting healthcare landscape and growing need for in-home care HCF has a range of treatment at home options available to give you more choice in how and where you’re treated. We understand you might be a bit reluctant to leave home or spend a lot of time in hospital right now, but still need access to medical care. This is where our treatment at home options can help you get the care you need so you can leave hospital sooner and continue your treatment from home, or in some cases, help you avoid hospital altogether.

Your hospital cover provides benefits for your stay in hospital and therefore normally doesn’t include treatments that occur at home. Nevertheless, at HCF, we often choose to cover the cost for some treatments, using our contracted providers (called hospital-substitute treatment or HST providers), because we know you might prefer to be treated at home if it’s possible. We only cover treatments when we can make sure they’ll be provided safely and at the same, or better, quality than in hospital.

These at home treatments include:

• intravenous (IV) antibiotics for people with infections
• complex wound care with negative pressure therapy for post-surgical wounds or wounds that have broken down
• IV chemotherapy
• prehabilitation before surgery or rehabilitation after hip or knee replacements.

HCF members who had joint replacement surgery before any lockdown periods may be able to access rehabilitation at home as part of their recovery at no cost. At home treatment options and support are also available to members whose surgery has been postponed due to state and territory imposed COVID-19 restrictions.

Benefits of home care

Our treatment at home program was a godsend for Matthew Grootenboer, a cancer patient from rural Callala Bay, NSW, who was one of the first people to access the chemo@home care in NSW.

A fireman married with 4 children, he discovered in June 2019 that he had testicular cancer. “All sorts of things start running through your head, like am I going to live, am I going to die?” says Matthew.

After surgery, Matthew was relieved to discover he could have follow-up treatment in the comfort of his own home. “This was one less stress that I didn’t have to worry about – in fact more than one, quite a few less stresses that I didn’t have to worry about.”

With this flexibility, his wife Nadine was able to pick up the kids from school, rather than take Matthew on the long drive to hospital and back, and look after their son Charlie who has special needs. “And in my own home, with my own fridge and my own toilet, it was extremely comfortable for me. Then the nurse takes everything away, and you’re all done,” Matthew recalls.

Everything was arranged, including the nurse appointment and a Skype interview with the oncologist, still giving him face-to-face contact with his doctor.

Matthew says he didn’t realise the reassurance private health insurance can give until his doctor asked if he had cover.

“For me, it’s massive peace of mind, and one less thing to worry about when you’re going through cancer. You can concentrate on your family, and recovery – the things that matter,” he says.

As well as these at home comforts and practical bonuses, a review of studies in the Medical Journal of Australia found that hospital services delivered at home can improve patient outcomes, boost patient and carer satisfaction, and lower hospital readmission rates.

Some of the health benefits of treatment at home may also include better sleep and less risk of exposure to infections – which can be especially critical during the current pandemic.

How do you access treatment at home?

Matthew didn’t know at home treatment was an option. “We didn’t realise it until later on that chemo@home is provided by HCF,” he says. “HCF had done all the work beforehand to make it available for us.”

Most times a treating doctor approaches HCF or one of our providers to see if you’re eligible, so if you think treatment at home is for you, chat to your doctor about it. If they agree you're safe to get treatment at home, they can contact a provider (depending on availability in the area where you live).

So far, we’ve partnered with at home providers in every state and territory except Tasmania and Northern Territory and offer multiple providers to give you flexibility of choice. Hospitals have a list of our providers so they can refer people for treatments that are covered by HCF in your home.

There are several home-care health services to choose from, depending on how much support you need and where you live. Our providers deliver treatment at home with no out-of-pocket costs to you. That’s care when it counts.

Your hospital treating team can make referral directly to our HST contracted providers or you can call us on 13 13 34 or email hst@hcf.com.au to find out about our contracted HST providers, where they operate and what treatment they can give to eligible members. You can also visit our Treatment at Home page for more information.

Online services on offer

Looking after your health at home is especially important during the current pandemic, so even if you haven’t been to hospital or need follow-up treatment, you can still use your extras cover towards various health services over the phone and through video chat, including:

• mental health and wellbeing support
  Looking after your mental health is even more important at the moment and you can access our mental health and wellbeing support program made up of a range of mental wellbeing options that work, with the freedom to choose which is right for you. All of the tools and resources are online so you can access them when and where is best for you.
• a GP at your fingertips
  We’ve partnered with GP2U, a convenient online video GP service that can answer your general health questions, as well as issue prescriptions, sick notes and specialist referrals. Our partnership with GP2U, an online video GP service, makes it easier for eligible members to access telehealth services. All HCF members with health cover can access a standard GP consultation (up to 10 minutes) for a fee of $50. See hcf.com.au/gp2u for more information. Call GP2U on 1300 472 866, or you may be able to access bulk-billed online GP services with your current provider.
  
• pregnancy care
  Being pregnant at this time can be isolating for mums-to-be. If your birth classes have been cancelled, you can access childbirth and antenatal classes run by midwives using fun and engaging videos online. Birth Beat is a Catalyst program designed to be a one-stop-shop to prepare parents for birth and babies⁺. It also offers online first-aid courses.

Your health is our priority and we’re committed to providing the best health services and treatments to protect you and your loved ones. Contact us on 13 13 34 to find out if you’re eligible for treatment at home and our online services, or to chat with our team if you’re struggling to pay your premiums and require support.

Words by Natalie Parletta
Updated September 2021