Controversial issues in home health care: a roundtable discussion

Controversial issues in home health care (HHC) were discussed by a panel of four individuals involved in or knowledgeable about HHC. The panel addressed the following issues: reluctance of health professionals to participate in home care, challenges in providing HHC services, assigning responsibility for HHC services, reimbursement considerations in joint-venture arrangements, assuming fiscal responsibility for unreimbursed care, selecting HHC providers, defining patient rights, selecting drug products for home-care patients, competing with community pharmacists, circumvention of pharmacist input in preparation of solutions for home infusion, and the future of HHC. Hospital pharmacists who plan to become involved or are already involved in providing HHC services should become familiar with these controversial issues.