The Quote Lists Tasks, the Contract Lists Hours: Match the Two Pages Before You Sign

An agency that sends a quote and a service agreement often describes the same visit twice, in two different wordings. The quote usually lists tasks and the expected length of a visit. The agreement usually lists hours, days, and terms. Lining the two pages up before the first shift shows what one page says that the other leaves out.

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Build the two columns

Draw two columns on the check sheet. On the left, copy each task from the quote in the order it appears. On the right, copy each task the signed agreement names. Then copy the hours, the days, the travel time, the visit length, the start of service, and the notice required to change or end the schedule. Use the wording on the page, not your memory of the meeting.

Mark the gaps

A line on one side with nothing on the other is a gap. Mark it with a plain flag and write down what it is. Gaps of the kind to look for include a task on the quote that is missing from the agreement, a window of hours that differs between the pages, or a trip outside the home that one page mentions and the other does not. Do not decide a gap is harmless. Ask the agency to correct the page that is wrong.

Warranties and replacements

A product warranty is not usually part of an in-home care arrangement, so do not expect one. Ask instead what the agency puts in writing for a missed visit, a late arrival, a change of aide, and the replacement of a person who cannot come. Those written answers take the place a warranty would fill for equipment, and they go on the check sheet as lines with a named source.

Signed means matched

Before any signature, both pages must agree on tasks and hours, and every flagged gap must be closed in writing. Keep the signed page with the check sheet. Editorial note: a matched pair is a record of what was promised, not proof the work will be done. For the registration side of the agency, the public lookups are in How to check any home health agency in five federal lookups.