Warning to people looking for a home health agency, do not use Curing Hands in Burbank! Positive reviews are either from their staff to boost reviews, or from people who like their nurses, however it's very important to understand that the office staff at a home health agency is CRUCIAL. An elderly family member of mine who had fallen and also had a dangerous blood clot needed a Home Health Agency for several reasons. Our local doctor only used 2 local agencies so we signed up with Curing Hands since they have local nurses. The main nurse they sent out to our house who takes vital signs each week was fantastic. Also, 1 of the 2 physical therapists was great, very kind. (The first physical therapist had narcolepsy & would fall asleep during sessions, which wasted our very limited amount of PT visits! When I found out I called & got a new PT who was great). Also the nurse who helps the patient shower was nice.
HOWEVER, the OFFICE STAFF is AWFUL, terribly disorganized & HORRIBLE communication skills! The receptionist & each of the 3 people they transfer you to, including Maria, are the worst communicators on the planet. Maria tries to be nice, but none of them bother to take down notes so they don't know the patient's history nor the family request for who to contact for communication, for instance, contact a son because the elderly father patient is hard of hearing. When we first signed up I called to introduce myself. Bad sign from the get-go. Receptionist had no idea of a specific point person to refer me to!! How is this even possible? They must get these calls every day, yet they don't have specific staff who we can call to communicate with?! That doesn't even make sense. I realized later it's because no one there wants to take responsibility nor be held accountable. Because of this, they don't keep thorough patient records. Having nice nurses is nice, but it's not enough! If they don't know a patient's history, how can they make sure that you're getting the care that you need & the care you're entitled to paid for by your insurance and/or Medicare?! It's not possible is the answer. Curing Hands cares ONLY about receiving money from Medicare! They're VERY good at pretending to care on the phone, but when it comes down to handling records accurately, that's where flaws become evident. If a company has poor records, to me this means they're lazy, disorganized & suck! 1) They never bothered contacting the patient's doctor for complete records as I requested! So they had NO idea of patient's recent history which affects the care needed, they only knew & cared about the fact that a doctor enlisted their services. 2) When I called to go over patient's history, I learned they didn't request any info from the doctor! How can they administer care without knowing history? 7 months later they still didn't have this in their files! Why? Because they don't feel it's important enough to get recent patient records! This is a HUGE problem because if they don't understand the medical history, they cannot work with Medicare & insurance accurately to extend nurse care for longer periods as necessary. 3) They dont understand the new 2013 laws related to Obamacare. Because they don't comprehend or even know about the new laws, coupled with the fact that they don't know a patient's history, they suddenly will just END your care!! Which is what happened to us! Since they never bothered writing down my name in their files after 7 MONTHS, they sent a nurse out to the house to deal directly with the elderly patient who has hearing trouble & was confused by the visit. That visiting nurse said the services were ending! That's when I called to find out why & was told "Patient's care was ended because not taking new meds & also because patient didnt progress past using a walker. Since not improving with physical therapy, we have to end ALL services, including weekly nurse to check vital signs & shower aid." What about the blood clot? "Oh, my dear, I don't know, but since there are no new meds prescribed, we have to end, that's it, I'm sorry you're not happy." WTH?! Maria doesn't know about the blood clot, the main reason they were coming to the house?!
We're now VERY happy with a great new Home Healthy agency! Who knows the new Obamacare laws affecting Medicare. I also learned Curing Hands gave us wrong info, the weekly nurse should not have ended! They are DANGEROUS because they're clueless! I'm so happy with new service. Remember, nice nurses is not enough. Make sure your agency has a specific person who keeps thorough records, makes notes of your calls & requests, & knows the new laws! Otherwise, your service could suddenly end too! The NEW agency's nurse noticed patient had an odd cough & insisted emergency care. It turned out blood clot traveled to lungs! New agency's nurse SAVED our family member's life! I swear on my life this is all true. Best wishes to all out there. read more