Who We Are
The RHCAA (Respiratory Homecare Association of Alberta) has been in existence for 30 years representing providers who are involved in front line delivery of both clinical and therapy related services in the private sector.
WHAT WE DO:
Local Care
Registered Respiratory Therapists work across Alberta in your community. We offer service all over Alberta from North to south and east to west. Your local sleep clinic provides sleep diagnostic testing and respiratory care for you.
Our Impact
It is important to mention that through this network Albertans are served in every corner of the province. We clearly demonstrated this during the Slave Lake and Ft McMurray fires and Calgary floods. We enacted our own disaster plan and through a collaborative plan were able to restore patients medical equipment without delay. The RHCAA has been recognized for many of its contributions by Alberta Health, Alberta Aids to Daily Living (AADL) and the College and Association of a Respiratory Therapists of Alberta as well as counterparts in British Colombia, Saskatchewan and Ontario.
30+
Years Serving Alberta communities
RHCAA Members have been serving Albertans for over 30 years.
Sleep Therapy
HSAT - Home Sleep Apnea Testing is used to diagnose obstructive sleep apnea. A physician may recommend home sleep apnea testing if: It is highly likely that you have moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea. You have no significant medical conditions other than the suspected obstructive sleep apnea.
How the process works
A Doctor directs a patient to have a level 3 Sleep test or (also known as a Home Sleep Apnea Test) HSAT performed
The patient chooses a sleep clinic
The patient receives coaching & training on how to self-administer an HSAT
The patient takes the HSAT equipment home and self-administers the HSAT overnight
The equipment is returned, and a Respiratory Therapist (RRT) at the sleep clinic examines the results to ensure the data is valid and sent off to an interpreting physician for analysis
6. The interpreting physician completes the interpretation and forwards the results back to the sleep clinic
7. The sleep clinic forwards the interpreted results to the referring physician who directs next step of care based on the interpreted results
8. The referring physician issues a prescription for a trial of treatment and any additional testing
9. Results of the trial CPAP therapy are sent to the referring physician who makes the final decision of the appropriate treatment for the patient.
Oxygen Therapy
Oxygen therapy is a commonly ordered therapy that your physician or health care provider may recommend for you or a family member. It may be given for lung diseases such as COPD or pulmonary fibrosis, heart conditions such as late stage heart disease, infections such as pneumonia and various other ailments. Home oxygen therapy generally consists of two devices; a larger home concentrator and a portable concentrator or portable cylinders for mobility. It is worth noting that although portable concentrators may appear to be the most convenient mobility option, they do not work for all cases. Your provider will furnish you with options that best suit your specific needs.
Depending upon the situation, oxygen therapy may be covered by Alberta Health Care. In Alberta there are several ways to attain government funding; your provider will assist you in this regard. You may be asked to have testing such as an ABG (arterial blood gas – this is how your blood oxygen levels are most accurately measured), a PFT (pulmonary function test – to measure the volume of your lungs and how quickly and completely you can exhale) or other tests. These are some tests that are used by AADL (Alberta Aids to Daily Living) to determine your eligibility for funding. While government funding does address many of the most common ailments that require oxygen therapy, it is possible that you may need oxygen but not be eligible for funding. In these cases, your private insurance may cover your therapy and if not, you will be presented with options to pay for your own therapy.
How the process works
In order to get oxygen therapy, you will need to have a prescription indicating this. Generally, someone on your physician or nurse practitioner’s team will arrange for your therapy to be set up by the provider of your choice. A respiratory therapist will make arrangements to come to your location and set up the equipment. If you are in a hospital and are discharged on oxygen therapy, the provider will come in and set you up on a portable system and then make arrangement to meet you at home. Once at your home, the therapist will assess your condition, completely review the safe and effective usage of all the oxygen equipment, let you know of any costs that you may be responsible for and provide you with contact numbers. You should ask questions and even involve family members or trusted friends that will be able to assist you with your therapy. Your respiratory therapist will be happy to educate everyone on the safe usage of the equipment. If there are language barriers or concerns about communication, these should be addressed prior to picking an oxygen therapy provider; many providers have team members that speak multiple languages.
