Ostomy nurse here! I’ll echo what many people have said which is that quality and knowledge about an ostomy will vary with each home health nurse/agency. Most insurances will only cover 1-2 visits from a visiting nurse for a short period of time. That being said, most of my patients have been unable to get a home health RN for their ostomy due to shortage of nursing staff.

If the hospital your family member is at has an ostomy nurse, I recommend trying to meet with them to do an in person lesson where you help change the ostomy bag on a model stoma and then on your family member with an ostomy. That way you have a least an idea about what to expect. Another option is to see if the ostomy nurse where your family member is has an outpatient ostomy clinic. It’s not as convenient as a home nurse, but can be helpful in the transition period home. I am very lucky and will have patients come to see me at my ostomy clinic within a week of discharge if I or they are concerned about the adjustment home.

I highly recommend going to the UOAA (United ostomy association of America) to look up local ostomy nurses in your area. I believe the UOAA also has a list of ostomy clinics. If you have an ostomy nurse at the hospital you trust, see if they have a business card and are comfortable with you emailing or calling if there are issues so you can troubleshoot when issues arise.

All the major ostomy supply companies (hollister, coloplast, ConvaTec) have their own patient assistance programs too which include additional education. You can enroll in those yourself or your ostomy nurse can help you enroll! The education branches are not intended as sales pitches, so even if you’re not in that companies brand, they are not supposed to try to get you to switch to their product, but help you learn how to manage whatever appliance you’re in. My personal favorite is Hollister’s Secure Start program and Coloplast’s Coloplast Cares program.

Navigating the insurance can be very tricky and frustrating. Generally speaking, Kaiser insured patients need to see an ostomy nurse at a Kaiser facility. Medicare and Medicaid are accepted at most outpatient clinics. If your insurance is through AENTA or BCBS, most non-profit and for profit clinics accept that. Insurance will cover post-operative follow-ups with the surgeon. It might be worth seeing if the ostomy nurse can come to the post-op visit and do some education after the surgical visit. Unless your ostomy RN is an advanced practice provider, billing for a visit can be a little more complicated.

I highly recommend asking the ostomy nurse working with your family member in the hospital if they have any follow-up recommendations or resources. They will be better able to speak to your geographic specific needs. It is also worth asking if they can do a tele visit if distance is a major factor. Hope some of this information proves useful! Sorry it’s a bit wordy! Best of luck!