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National Program for Home Ventilatory Assistance (NPHVA)

Description

This program makes specialized equipment and accessories available for loan to adults and children requiring long-term ventilatory assistance at home. The equipment is used to compensate for impaired respiratory function.

Presentation and objectives

The equipment loans and professional services provided under the program enable participants to use, on their own or with the help of others, the equipment required to receive ventilatory assistance on an outpatient basis.

Eligible pediatric patients include infants (less than 1 year of age), children (1 to 12 years of age) and adolescents (13 to 17 years of age) who require ventilatory assistance.

In some cases, ventilatory assistance is not sufficient and home oxygen therapy is also required.

Eligibility

To benefit from these services, patients must undergo a respiratory medical assessment. The assessment is required to ensure the person being treated meets the eligibility criteria.

In addition to the medical criteria, several other factors are also considered in the decision to initiate long-term ventilatory assistance at home. These can include factors related to the patient and their family and to the environment: For example, the patient’s living environment, motivation, and level of commitment and cooperation are assessed.

To be eligible for this program, patients must also:

  • Live in Quebec
  • Have an attending physician
  • Be able to accommodate the treatment equipment in their home
  • Be able to consent to receiving home care and services
  • Be able to assist with treatment and maintain the equipment provided on their own or with the assistance of a family member

Patients are not eligible if they:

  • Do not meet the medical criteria at the time of the respiratory medical assessment
  • Are living in a health facility, rehabilitation centre, nursing home, long-term care facility, or intermediate resource
  • Smoke

Reimbursable expenses

There are no fees or deductibles to pay.

The equipment must be returned when it is no longer being used or if the patient dies.

A person who already has their own equipment may, subject to an evaluation, transfer ownership of the equipment in order to benefit from certain services under the program, such as technical support and maintenance.

Process

To register for this program, ask your doctor to refer you to a respirologist who can conduct the medical assessment and complete your application if you meet the criteria.

Help and information

For more information, visit the McGill University Health Centre’s (MUHC) National Program for Home Ventilatory Assistance This hyperlink will open in a new window. website and the Service régional de soins respiratoires spécialisés à domicile (SRSRSD) This hyperlink will open in a new window. of the Institut universitaire de cardiologie et pneumologie de Québec de l’Université Laval (IUCPQ-UL).

You can also obtain assistance by contacting the Office des personnes handicapées du Québec This hyperlink will open in a new window..

Last update: May 9, 2023

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