Data-Driven Growth for Care at Home
Patients, families, and even healthcare professionals often find it challenging to distinguish between the different types of care services delivered in the home. Is home health the same as home care? How does palliative care differ from hospice? And where does post-acute care fit in?
In this blog, we’ll clarify the major categories of at-home care—explaining what each entails, who they are designed for, and how Maxwell TEC supports every step of the journey.
Home health care involves skilled clinical services provided in the home, typically following a hospital stay or managing a chronic condition. Services include nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and medical social work2. These are ordered by a physician and are often covered by Medicare, Medicaid, or private insurance when deemed medically necessary2.
Home health is appropriate for patients recovering from surgery, illness, or managing chronic conditions. It offers an alternative to extended hospital stays or skilled nursing facility admissions by enabling patients to safely recover at home with professional support.
Home care—sometimes called personal care—offers non-clinical support with activities of daily living such as bathing, grooming, meal preparation, transportation, and companionship2. Unlike home health care, these services are typically not covered by health insurance and are often paid for privately or via long-term care insurance.
Home care is ideal for older adults or individuals with disabilities who require assistance to live independently but do not necessarily need skilled medical care2. Support can range from part-time help a few days a week to full-time, live-in care.
Palliative care provides relief from pain and other symptoms associated with serious illness—regardless of age, diagnosis, or stage of disease4. It can be provided alongside curative treatments in settings such as hospitals, clinics, or at home. In addition to physical relief, palliative care supports psychological, social, and spiritual well-being for both patients and families.
Palliative care can be especially valuable for those facing complex symptoms, repeated hospitalizations, or who need support navigating care options. The goal for palliative care is to improve quality of life—not only for the patient, but also for their families4.
Hospice care is specialized end-of-life care focused on comfort, dignity, and emotional support. The goal of hospice is not to cure illness, but to enhance the quality of life during a person’s final months5. Services include symptom management, spiritual counseling, and guidance for both patients and their families—typically delivered by a multidisciplinary team of doctors, nurses, social workers, chaplains, and trained volunteers.
Hospice can be provided in a patient’s home, in a facility, or a dedicated hospice center. Eligibility requires a physician’s certification of terminal illness, election of hospice care in writing, and an individualized care plan aligned with the patient’s goals and preferences, as outlined by CMS Hospice Conditions of Participation3.
Post-acute care encompasses wide-ranging services aimed at helping patients recover after hospital discharge. It’s designed for patients who are not yet ready to manage their care independently and may include therapies (physical, occupational, or speech), IV infusions, wound care, and more1.
Post-acute care services are delivered in various settings, including the home (via home health or hospice), skilled nursing facilities, and rehabilitation centers1. The goal of post-acute care is to restore function, prevent rehospitalization, and support the patient’s return to independence or long-term care planning.
Maxwell TEC is committed to advancing care in the home by empowering providers through purposeful technology and strategic insights. We know that success in this space hinges on having tools that adapt to the unique demands of each care setting. That’s why our tech-enabled solutions are designed to scale across the full continuum of care—from routine check-ins to complex care coordination.
nanaCONNECT is our core engagement tool that empowers care teams to stay closely connected with patients through automated check-ins and simple self-reported wellness updates. A 1-5 rating system enables patients to easily share how they’re feeling and allows providers to spot changes early and act quickly.
NOTIFYnana improves transparency and trust through real-time text notifications about upcoming visits. Patients receive alerts when a clinician is scheduled to arrive, helping reduce missed visits and ensuring everyone stays informed throughout the care process.
nanaBEREAVEMENT blends innovation and empathy to transform traditional bereavement outreach into a timely, text-based experience. Using AI-based risk scoring, the platform identifies which families may be more vulnerable during the grieving process—triggering personalized messages and compassionate support when they need it most.
Caregiver Accelerator helps care agencies optimize clinician schedules and monitor productivity. With intuitive dashboards and real-time staff utilization data, administrators can better allocate resources, prevent missed visits, and improve consistency of care delivery across the continuum.
Together, nanaCONNECT, NOTIFYnana, nanaBEREAVEMENT, and Caregiver Accelerator form a flexible, scalable toolkit that supports each phase of the care-at-home journey—from clinical recovery in home health, to daily engagement in personal care, to compassionate outreach in hospice. With technology that’s simple, smart, and human-centered, Maxwell TEC helps agencies deliver care at home that’s not only efficient—but deeply connected.