Dear Germaine:

I imagine that if you are working for a home health agency, there must
be someone there who negotiates contracts with payors (eg. insurance
companies, HMO's, etc.)  These contracts will spell out what Home Health
will do and how much the payor will reimburse.  Find out this person on
your staff FIRST -- that will give you the ground work from where to go.
It will also let you know if there are other health care providers
involved in the payment process (eg. physicians who must make the
referrals for breastfeeding-specific home health services) and how
supportive these people will be of your ideas.

Discuss with your supervisors/managers the issue and your ideas to see
if they will help you develop something to propose adding to your
agency's contract.  Some health insurance companies are starting to
reimburse for LC services (CIGNA, Aetna?), so this may be something the
U.S. industry as a whole will start to build in to their benefits and
services.

Good Luck and let us know what you discover!

Doraine Bailey
ILCA World Breastfeeding Week Coordinator
WBW 1998:  "Breastfeeding: The Best Investment"

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