Home Health Care: What It Is and Why Hiring Matters

Sep 17, 2025
Blog, HR and Recruiting Industry Information
Allie Blackham
Scheduling

Home health care is big business in the United States. Approximately 12 million Americans receive home health care services every year. And the industry is only growing — 17.5% of the population is 65 or older and the industry generates over $100 billion annually.

This blog looks at home health care, how it works and how the right hiring practices can help the agencies that deliver these services succeed.

What Is Home Health Care?

Home health care involves delivering health care to patients in their own homes. Rather than receive these services in a hospital, clinic or other medical facility, many Americans can receive care in their own homes. This could be general nursing care, specialized care, rehabilitation therapy or services associated with long-term care.

Who Is Home Health Care For?

Home health care services can help a variety of people with a range of needs. Some instances where a patient might choose home health services include:

  • Aging in place: Many seniors want to continue living in their own homes, as opposed to an assisted living facility or a nursing home. Receiving care services at home allows them to stay where they are and get the care they need.
  • Chronic conditions: A person of any age can have an ongoing, chronic condition. A home health aide can visit these patients daily, weekly or at whatever cadence necessary to help them manage their conditions and their lives.
  • Temporary illnesses: Some patients need personal care or skilled nursing to recover from a temporary illness.
  • Surgery recovery and rehabilitation: In-home medical care can help people recover from surgeries and injuries.
  • Respite care: Many people receive care from loved ones. When these family caregivers are unavailable, they may procure home health services on a temporary basis.
  • Palliative care: Skilled nursing and hospice care are also available in-home to help people at the end of their lives.

Home Health vs. Non-Medical Home Care

Some sources make a distinction between home health services and in-home non-medical care, while others classify the latter as a subset of the former.

Home health care often involves medical services, such as skilled nursing care. Registered nurses, and in some cases, doctors and specialists, can visit patients in their homes and provide a range of services. This differs from non-medical home care, which is administered by caregivers. These are not medical professionals, but they can help patients live and manage their lives. This category of care might include assistance with mobility, meal preparation, toileting and transportation.

Who Qualifies for Home Healthcare?

To qualify for home health services, patients typically must be largely homebound due to a medical condition. Certifications from Medicare, Medicaid or a private insurance company are necessary, and agencies providing this care must also have the right certifications. A physician has to certify that a patient needs skilled nursing care or therapy to receive those medical services at home.

Why Hiring Quality Home Health Care Staff Matters

Hiring is critical to the success of just about any organization. But with the stakes as high as they can be with skilled care, a home health agency must be sure it’s hiring the right candidates. 

Skilled staff directly influence quality, safety and patient outcomes. When it comes to health care administration, there simply must be an organized process for recruiting, tracking and onboarding hires. Furthermore, compliance and credentialing are non-negotiable, so utilizing a solution to help sort and file all the necessary paperwork can be a vital advantage. 

Hiring Challenges in Home Health

Because of the growing demand for home health care services, there’s a caregiver shortage in much of the country. This means there’s often tough competition for the top candidates. Administrators must have responsive communication with the applicants they value.

Home care agencies often face retention challenges, such as high turnover, burnout and staffing shortages. It’s not easy being a nurse or caregiver, and even when healthcare providers act as great employers, home care personnel often seek sabbaticals and changes of scenery that can disrupt staffing. 

Strong hiring practices help keep staff longer and replace them swiftly with a qualified candidate when necessary. A streamlined and effective recruitment strategy can have a major positive impact on the reputation and growth of a home care services provider.

How ApplicantStack Helps Home Health Providers Recruit

In-home personal care providers often feel pressure to bring in new hires fast. But home care companies can’t afford to sacrifice quality checks and compliance for the sake of speed. Therefore, any method a personal care provider can use to streamline recruiting can be a huge benefit.

Applicant tracking for health care can accelerate the hiring process in a way that won’t jeopardize compliance or risk bringing in the wrong candidates. ApplicantStack by Swipeclock can streamline hiring and recruitment with job posting, applicant tracking and interview scheduling features.

ApplicantStack has built-in compliance features especially helpful for healthcare hiring. The platform integrates with many healthcare-specific job boards, enabling home care companies to connect with highly qualified candidates quickly. AI filtering tools can help efficiently identify the best candidates for healthcare positions, and the solution has features that make it easy to keep candidates engaged through a centralized communication hub and straightforward onboarding.

Strengthen Home Health Care Recruitment

Home health care matters to millions of Americans, and staffing quality matters to home care providers. Strong hiring practices are critical to delivering safe, effective home care, as identifying and recruiting the right talent often determines positive outcomes. ApplicantStack helps home health providers build a reliable, compliant workforce. Reach out to schedule a demo today and discover how our solution can help your home care agency.

Allie Blackham
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