What to Do When No Home Health Agency Can Staff the Case
A staffing refusal is not the same as a coverage denial; push the referral back to the ordering team and build a safe interim plan.
Start here
Call the ordering provider or hospital discharge planner the same day and ask them to send the complete referral to additional Medicare-certified agencies. Ask each declining agency to state whether the problem is staffing, service area, insurance network, or clinical acceptance.
What to have in front of you
- Home-health order, face-to-face note, and discharge instructions
- Medicare and plan cards
- ZIP code, preferred language, and safe scheduling contacts
- Exact disciplines and frequency ordered
- Agency names, call dates, and stated decline reasons
What to say when someone answers
“The ordered home-health referral has not started because agencies say they cannot staff it. Please send a complete referral to additional certified agencies today and tell me who owns the safety plan until an agency accepts.”
Small but useful: Write down the person’s name, the date, the exact next step, and when you should call again.
Do this in order
- 1
Confirm the referral itself is complete and clinically clear.
- 2
Call the plan for an in-network agency list if the person has Medicare Advantage.
- 3
Use Care Compare to identify certified agencies and track each response.
- 4
Ask the clinician for a safe interim plan for wounds, medicines, equipment, and warning signs.
What happens next
A new agency may accept the case, ask for corrected documentation, or offer a different start date. Medicare coverage rules do not require a particular agency to have staff available.
If they say “we’ll put you on the list”
Escalate within the hospital, medical group, or health plan if discharge was unsafe or no one owns the referral. Call 911 for an emergency; use urgent clinical advice for worsening symptoms rather than waiting for routine home-health intake.
Official sources
Checked August 9, 2026. Programs, hours, funding, and enrollment lists can change. Confirm details directly before relying on them.