Frequently asked questions

Yes. Firstat is licensed by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) as a Home Health Agency, a different and more heavily regulated designation than a non-medical caregiving or companion agency. It means our nurses can legally perform skilled clinical procedures (wound care, injections, catheter and ventilator care, and more) in a patient’s home under a physician’s plan of care.

Firstat accepts private pay, long-term care insurance, and workers’ compensation, and we bill those payers directly so families and referral partners deal with less paperwork. Caring for a veteran? We can help coordinate with the VA, sometimes through a partner organization. Not sure what applies to you? Call us at (619) 220-7600 and we’ll talk through the options.

We serve San Diego County, based out of our office in the Grantville / Mission Valley area. If you’re unsure whether your address falls within our service radius, call us. We can usually tell you in a couple of minutes.

Timing depends on the patient’s needs, the physician’s order, and staffing. We begin by sending an RN to assess the patient, and we’ll give you a realistic timeline once we understand the case.

For skilled nursing services, yes. Because Firstat operates under a CDPH Home Health Agency license, skilled care (wound care, injections, medication management, and similar procedures) is performed under a physician-issued plan of care, with an RN overseeing and adjusting that plan as the patient’s needs change.

Yes. Our RNs and LVNs are licensed, our HHAs are certified, and every staff member is background-checked. They’re employees of Firstat, not independent contractors or a staffing pool.

We don’t offer live-in staff, but we can arrange hourly shift coverage when a case calls for it. Call us to talk through the schedule you need.