What Families Should Ask Before Choosing a Medical Group Home (Key Questions & Red Flags)

Making the Right Choice.

Choosing a group home for someone with intellectual, developmental, or complex medical needs is one of the biggest decisions you may make. It’s not just about finding a bed—it’s about safety, health outcomes, dignity, and ensuring you have a partner in care. Having worked closely with medically fragile clients, Audubon Gardens Group has identified key questions and red flags that families should use to assess homes. Here’s what to look for.

Key Questions Families Must Ask

Medical Oversight & Staff Credentials

• Is there 24-hour nursing or medical support?

• What are staff credentials (nurses, LPNs, CNAs)?

• How is staff trained for specific conditions (e.g., feeding tubes, ventilators)?

Licensing & Regulatory Compliance

• What types of licenses does the home hold?

• Is it licensed for “specialized nursing,” or residential habilitation with medical oversight?

• Are inspections recent and publicly available?

Care Plan & Outcome Tracking

• How are care plans developed and updated?

• Are health metrics (e.g., weight, wound healing, hospitalizations) monitored

• How often do physician or therapist reviews occur?

Funding & Documentation

• What Medicaid services are used?

• What experience does the provider have with preparing funding packets?

• What experience does the provider have with preparing MCM and SAN packets? What have been the results in terms of funding received?

Quality of Life & Daily Living

• What is the staff-to-resident ratio?

• What’s the home’s policy for family involvement, visitation, and communication?

• How does the home support social, emotional, and community engagement?

Red Flags to Watch Out For

Medical Group Homes: Red Flags to Watch Out For

• Vague or missing documentation of medical oversight

• Homes that make promises but don’t show evidence (e.g., photographs, staff records, recent licensing)

• Lack of transparency about how additional medical needs are handled (e.g. what happens in a respiratory crisis, or who is responsible for physician orders)

• High staff turnover, unclear staff credentials, or low staff-to-resident ratios

• Homes that discourage family involvement or visitation, or that restrict communication with medical providers

Why These Questions Matter: Outcomes & Case Study Insights

From our video’s case study, the client who had been denied nursing services and whose health deteriorated saw measurable health improvements when placed in a medically equipped group home: weight gains, improved respiratory stability, and healing of wounds. That kind of turnaround only happens when the care home has the medical capacity, the right documentation, consistent oversight, and a plan that’s executed in coordination with medical professionals.

Policy & Support Structures That Help Families Ask the Right Questions

Florida’s iBudget system confidently incorporates annual cost plan reviews, mandates for documenting medical necessity, and policy options for requesting “significant additional needs” funding. The Home Health Aide for Medically Fragile Children program (FHHA) empowers family caregivers by providing them with greater control and understanding of care elements. Public reports, including APD quarterly reports, effectively cover service utilization, oversee group home licensing, and provide data on the number of individuals waiting for or receiving limited services.

Medical Group Home: Practical Steps for Families

1. Before visiting, write down these questions and bring them with you.

2. Ask for copies of licenses, medical supervision plans, and staffing plans.

3. Request examples of care plans and outcome data (e.g., improvements in client health over time).

4. Talk with current families/residents if possible.

5. Always verify that what a home advertises matches what is documented and licensed.

Conclusion

Choosing the right group home isn’t just about finding a bed—it’s about ensuring your loved one has access to the medical, emotional, and social care they need. Asking the right questions can protect against unsafe placements, delayed care, or worse outcomes. With the right home, outcomes improve; with the wrong one, things can deteriorate fast.

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Sources & References

• Florida iBudget Significant Additional Needs policy/statute

• FHHA / HB 391 / SB 1156 program details

• APD reports on licensing and waitlist data

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Want a checklist you can download & use when visiting potential homes? Our full video, Medical Group Homes Demystified dives deep!