The Worst Home Health Care Agencies in Iowa

As the US population grows older, more of us are going to need some kind of help with our daily routines or to recover from specific afflictions. Much of that care will take place outside of a hospital or residential care setting. We believe that one of the best ways to live longer or to recover faster is through health care services that are delivered in your home.

There are many benefits to receiving health care at home. First, it is often more convenient for patients, since they don’t have to travel to a facility. Second, it can be less expensive than receiving care in a hospital or other setting. Third, patients may feel more comfortable and relaxed in their own homes. Home treatment has been shown to lead to faster recoveries and better overall outcomes than similar treatments administered in a hospital or group home setting.

Home Health Care Agencies in Iowa

There are 134 home health care companies registered with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid that serve the Highland, Arkansas area. Because home health care agencies visit your home, you may be in an agency's service area even if they do not have an office in Highland.

The list below shows the worst home health care agencies in the market ranked by their overall 5-star quality of care rating. (Click here to see the best home health care agencies in Iowa.)

Name	5-Star Quality of Care Rating
SUNNY BROOK HOME CARE 400 HIGHLAND STREET, SUITE 102 FAIRFIELD, IA 52556	1:
FREEDOM HOME HEALTH CARE INC 2701 SE CONVENIENCE BOULEVARD, STE 10 ANKENY, IA 50021	1.5:
TO THE RESCUE 3725 CENTER POINT ROAD NE CEDAR RAPIDS, IA 52402	1.5:
SOUTHWEST IOWA HOME HEALTH SERVICES 2967 US HIGHWAY 275 STE 2 HAMBURG, IA 51640	1.5:
MYRTUE MED CENTER HOME HEALTH 2712 12TH STREET HARLAN, IA 51537	1.5:
SUNCREST HOME HEALTH 5959 VILLAGE VIEW DRIVE SUITE 100 WEST DES MOINES, IA 50266	1.5:
COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES 1515 SOUTH PHILLIPS ALGONA, IA 50511	2:
LEE COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT 3 JOHN BENNETT DRIVE FORT MADISON, IA 52627	2:
JOHNSON COUNTY VISITING NURSE ASSOCIATION 1524 SYCAMORE STREET IOWA CITY, IA 52240	2:
V M H COMUNITY & HOME CARE 40 FIRST STREET SE WAUKON, IA 52172	2:
WINNEBAGO COUNTY PHNS 216 SOUTH 4TH STREET FOREST CITY, IA 50436	2:
BUENA VISTA COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH AND HOME CARE 1709 EAST RICHLAND STREET STORM LAKE, IA 50588	2:
VIRGINIA GAY HOSPITAL HOME HEALTH AGENCY 502 NORTH 9TH AVENUE VINTON, IA 52349	2:
OPTIMAE HOME HEALTH SERVICES 206 WEST BURLINGTON AVENUE FAIRFIELD, IA 52556	2:
HARRISON COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH 122 W 8TH ST LOGAN, IA 51546	2:
THERAPY SOLUTIONS INC 209 29TH STREET NE CEDAR RAPIDS, IA 52402	2:
COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES 402 2ND AVE SE CRESCO, IA 52136	2:
FLOYD COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH/ HOME HEALTH CARE 1003 GILBERT STREET CHARLES CITY, IA 50616	2:
VAN BUREN COUNTY PHNS 404 DODGE STREET KEOSAUQUA, IA 52565	2:
POCAHONTAS COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH 21 3RD AVE NE POCAHONTAS, IA 50574	2:
GUTHRIE COUNTY PHNS 2002 STATE STREET GUTHRIE CENTER, IA 50115	2:
TAMA COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH & HO 129 WEST HIGH STREET TOLEDO, IA 52342	2.5:
HORN MEMORIAL HOSPITAL H H A 700 EAST SECOND STREET-PHYSICAL LOCATION IDA GROVE, IA 51445	2.5:
HEIGHTS HOME HEALTH, INC 114 NORTH 4TH STREET, SUITE C MAPLETON, IA 51034	2.5:
SAC COUNTY PHNS 116 SOUTH STATE STREET SAC CITY, IA 50583	2.5:
PELLA REGIONAL HOME HEALTH AGENCY 505 UNION STREET PELLA, IA 50219	2.5:
KEYSTONE HOME HEALTH 250 5TH ST KEYSTONE, IA 52249	2.5:
BUTLER COUNTY PHNS 610 OAK ST ALLISON, IA 50602	2.5:
WEL-HOME HEALTH OF RED OAK 1600 SUMMIT STREET RED OAK, IA 51566	2.5:
GUNDERSEN PALMER LUTHERAN HOSP & CLIN-HOME HEALTH 200 JEFFERSON ST WEST UNION, IA 52175	2.5:
CHICKASAW CO PUBLIC HEALTH & HOME CARE SERVICES 260 EAST PROSPECT NEW HAMPTON, IA 50659	2.5:
WESLEY LIFE HOME HEALTH 4328 114TH STREET URBANDALE, IA 50322	2.5:
MOBILE NURSING SERVICES 705 AVENUE G FORT MADISON, IA 52627	2.5:
IOWA HOME CARE, L L C 13133 ANGLE ROAD OTTUMWA, IA 52501	2.5:
WAYNE COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH NURSING SERVICE 100 EAST SOUTH STREET CORYDON, IA 50060	2.5:
COMFORT CARE MEDICARE INC 4015 GLASS ROAD NE CEDAR RAPIDS, IA 52402	2.5:
IOWA HOME CARE, L L C 2500 UNIVERSITY AVENUE WEST DES MOINES, IA 50266	2.5:
HANCOCK COUNTY HEALTH SYSTEM COMMUNITY HEALTH 545 STATE STREET GARNER, IA 50438	2.5:
UNIVERSITY OF IOWA HEALTH CARE MEDICAL CENTER DOWNTOWN HOME HEALTH 540 E JEFFERSON ST SUITE 305 IOWA CITY, IA 52245	3:
SIOUX CENTER HOME HEALTH AND HOSPICE 1400 7TH AVENUE SE SIOUX CENTER, IA 51250	3:
OPTIMAE HOME HEALTH SERVICES, CENTRAL IOWA 600 EAST COURT AVENUE, SUITE 201 DES MOINES, IA 50309	3:
UNITYPOINT AT HOME 290 BLAIRS FERRY ROAD NE, SUITE 300 CEDAR RAPIDS, IA 52402	3:
BURGESS HOME HEALTH 1600 DIAMOND STREET ONAWA, IA 51040	3:
PALO ALTO COMMUNITY HEALTH 3201 FIRST STREET EMMETSBURG, IA 50536	3:
CRAWFORD COUNTY HOME HEALTH, HOSPICE & PUBLIC HEAL 105 NORTH MAIN DENISON, IA 51442	3:
EVERYSTEP 3000 EASTON BLVD DES MOINES, IA 50317	3:
WINNMED 901 MONTGOMERY STREET DECORAH, IA 52101	3:
MERCY HOME CARE 2740 FIRST AVENUE NE CEDAR RAPIDS, IA 52402	3:
EVERYSTEP 221 W ADAMS ST CRESTON, IA 50801	3:
GREENBELT HOME CARE 1707 21ST ST ELDORA, IA 50627	3:

How are Home Health Care Agencies Rated?

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ("CMS") generates two types of 5-star rating, the Quality of Patient Care Star Ratings and Patient Survey Star Ratings.

Quality of Patient Care Ratings are based on data compiled by CMS based on the percentage of patients whose conditions improve as a result of care provided by the agency. The general guidelines are that these measures should :

• Apply to a substantial proportion of home health patients and have sufficient data to report for a majority of home health agencies.
• Show a reasonable amount of variation among home health agencies and it should be possible for a home health agency to show improvement in performance.
• Have high face validity and clinical relevance.
• Be stable and not show substantial random variation over time.
• Have changed over time based on the results of ongoing monitoring analyses, technical expert panel input, and stakeholder feedback.

Patient improvement is measured in the following ways:

• Timely Initiation of Care
• Improvement in Ambulation
• Improvement in Bed Transferring
• Improvement in Bathing
• Improvement in Shortness of Breath
• Improvement in Management of Oral Medications
• Acute Care Hospitalization

CMS also regularly surveys home health care patients using The Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS®) Home Health Care Survey ("HHCAHPS”). Patients are asked to rate the home health care agency according the following:

• Percent Of Patients Who Reported That Their Home Health Team Gave Care In A Professional Way
• Percent Of Patients Who Reported That Their Home Health Team Communicated Well With Them
• Percent Of Patients Who Reported That Their Home Health Team Discussed Medicines, Pain, And Home Safety With Them
• Percent Of Patients Who Gave Their Home Health Agency A Rating Of 9 Or 10 On A Scale From 0 (lowest) To 10 (highest)
• Percent Of Patients Who Reported YES, They Would Definitely Recommend The Home Health Agency To Friends And Family

Because CMS loves to generate 5-star ratings, there are also 5-star ratings related to each of these questions.

Other Lists of the Worst Home Health Care Agencies

The worst home health care agencies in Iowa

Major Cities in Iowa

Des Moines, IA (best, worst)	Davenport, IA (best, worst)
Cedar Rapids, IA (best, worst)	Iowa City, IA (best, worst)
Waterloo, IA (best, worst)	Sioux City, IA (best, worst)
Dubuque, IA (best, worst)	Ames, IA (best, worst)
West Des Moines, IA (best, worst)	Ankeny, IA (best, worst)
Council Bluffs, IA (best, worst)	Urbandale, IA (best, worst)
Cedar Falls, IA (best, worst)	Marion, IA (best, worst)
Bettendorf, IA (best, worst)	Clinton, IA (best, worst)
Burlington, IA (best, worst)	Mason City, IA (best, worst)
Marshalltown, IA (best, worst)	Muscatine, IA (best, worst)

Best and Worst Home Health Care Lists in Other States

Alaska (best, worst)	Alabama (best, worst)
Arizona (best, worst)	Arkansas (best, worst)
California (best, worst)	Colorado (best, worst)
Connecticut (best, worst)	Delaware (best, worst)
District of Columbia (best, worst)	Florida (best, worst)
Georgia (best, worst)	Hawaii (best, worst)
Idaho (best, worst)	Illinois (best, worst)
Indiana (best, worst)	Iowa (best, worst)
Kansas (best, worst)	Kentucky (best, worst)
Louisiana (best, worst)	Maine (best, worst)
Maryland (best, worst)	Massachusetts (best, worst)
Michigan (best, worst)	Minnesota (best, worst)
Mississippi (best, worst)	Missouri (best, worst)
Montana (best, worst)	Nebraska (best, worst)
Nevada (best, worst)	New Hampshire (best, worst)
New Jersey (best, worst)	New Mexico (best, worst)
New York (best, worst)	North Carolina (best, worst)
North Dakota (best, worst)	Ohio (best, worst)
Oklahoma (best, worst)	Oregon (best, worst)
Pennsylvania (best, worst)	Rhode Island (best, worst)
South Carolina (best, worst)	South Dakota (best, worst)
Tennessee (best, worst)	Texas (best, worst)
Utah (best, worst)	Vermont (best, worst)
Virginia (best, worst)	Washington (best, worst)
West Virginia (best, worst)	Wisconsin (best, worst)
Wyoming (best, worst)	Guam (best, worst)
U.S. Virgin Islands (best, worst)	Puerto Rico (best, worst)