New to home care
Contact your Alberta Health Services case manager, or call Health Link at 811 to request a home care assessment. We help you make that call and prepare for the visit. Once assessed, name A Medical Agency on the program forms.
Client Directed Home Care Invoicing (CDHCI) · Alberta
The province funds the care. You choose who delivers it.
Client Directed Home Care Invoicing, known as CDHCI, is an Alberta Health Services program that lets eligible Albertans select their own home care provider while approved hours are funded through Alberta Blue Cross. This page explains how it works and how we handle every step.
How the Money Flows
Public funding in. Care at home out. Nothing billed to the family.
Three parties are involved and each has a clear role. Alberta Health Services assesses the client and authorizes the hours. Alberta Blue Cross funds every approved hour directly to the provider. A Medical Agency delivers the care, documents each visit and submits the claim.
Because the provider is paid by the program administrator, families never receive an invoice for approved hours and never deal with collections. The only decision a family makes is which agency they trust in their home.
01
Assesses
Alberta Health Services
Assesses the client at home, authorizes monthly hours and sets the program parameters.
02
Funds
Alberta Blue Cross
Administers the program and funds approved hours submitted by the chosen provider.
03
Delivers
A Medical Agency
Matches the caregiver, delivers and documents every visit, and manages all claims and renewals.
04
Chooses
Your Family
Chooses the provider, welcomes the caregiver and pays nothing for approved hours.
Getting Started
Three paths. One phone number.
Where you begin depends on where you are today. Whichever path applies, the first step is the same: call 888.733.0611 and a coordinator will walk you through it in your language.
Already receiving care
If you receive home care from Alberta Health Services or another agency, you may move to Client Directed Home Care with us. We coordinate the transition with your case manager so nothing lapses.
Managing care yourselves
Families on self managed care, or families carrying the load alone, can transfer to a registered provider and let us take over scheduling, staffing, records and claims.
1
Call us
We listen, explain the program and note the languages and routines that matter.
2
Assessment
An Alberta Health Services case manager assesses needs and authorizes monthly hours.
3
Choose us
Find A Medical Agency on the Alberta Blue Cross provider map. We complete the program forms with you and submit them.
4
Authorization
Alberta Blue Cross issues the authorization confirming approved hours.
5
Care begins
Your matched caregiver starts. We document every visit and manage all claims and renewals.
Who Qualifies
Eligibility is decided by the case manager, not by us.
To take part in Client Directed Home Care, a client generally must:
- Hold a valid Alberta Health Care number. No Alberta Blue Cross plan is needed
- Live at home in the community, rather than in a lodge, assisted living, a group home or hospital
- Be assessed by an Alberta Health Services case manager as needing home care. No physician referral is required
- Choose a registered provider such as A Medical Agency to deliver the approved hours
A note on family caregivers. Under the program, approved hours cannot be delivered by an immediate family member or by anyone who shares the client’s home. A trusted friend or neighbour who already helps may be eligible to join our team as the paid caregiver, subject to the case manager’s review. Ask us.
Request an Assessment
Call the Alberta Health Services Home Care line for your zone to request an assessment. We are glad to sit with you while you make the call. You can also read about the program on the Alberta Health Services Home and Community Care page.
Edmonton zone780.496.1300
Calgary zone403.943.1920
Central and North zones1.855.371.4122
South zone1.866.388.6380
Common Questions
Answers families ask for most.
Does it really cost my family nothing?
For hours approved by your Alberta Health Services case manager, yes. Those hours are funded through Alberta Blue Cross and billed by us directly to the program. Families only pay for additional private hours they choose to add above the approved plan.
How many hours will my loved one receive?
Hours are set by the case manager based on assessed need and are reviewed regularly. The program has a monthly maximum per client. If your family needs more, private hours are available at our published rate.
Can we keep the same caregiver?
That is our promise. We match one primary caregiver to each client by language, personality and skill, and keep a trained backup ready for holidays and illness so the care never depends on one person’s calendar.
We are with another agency. Can we switch?
Yes. Clients may change provider at any time under the program. Tell us and we will coordinate the change with your case manager so there is no interruption in care and no forms for you to chase.
What languages do your caregivers speak?
Punjabi language care is available across all three of our zones today, alongside English, Hindi, Urdu, Gujarati, Tagalog, Arabic and Cantonese on request. If your family speaks another language, ask. We recruit from the communities we serve.
Is there a minimum visit length?
Yes. Our standard visit is a minimum of three hours, which gives the caregiver time to deliver personal care unhurried and still share a meal or a conversation. Longer visits and overnight care are arranged within the approved plan or as private hours.
What services does the program fund?
Three categories: personal care, which includes hygiene, dressing, toileting, mobility and transfers, home exercises, nutrition and medication assistance; health related homemaking; and respite for family caregivers. Anything above the approved hours can be added by the family as private hours.
Where do you provide care?
Our caregiver teams are based in Calgary, Edmonton and Central Alberta, and our services are available to eligible clients across the province. Call us about any community in Alberta.
How do you keep records?
Every visit is documented with the client, caregiver, times and a care summary signed in the home. We run daily balance checks and a monthly self audit so our records always match what the program funded.
Ready When You Are
Let us take the first step with you.
Call 888.733.0611 seven days a week, or send us a note and a coordinator will call you back within one business day.