If you have been looking into home care in Alberta, you may have come across the letters CDHCI and wondered what on earth they mean. You are not alone – the name is a mouthful, and the way the program works is not obvious at first glance.

CDHCI stands for Client Directed Home Care Invoicing. It is an Alberta Health Services (AHS) program that helps eligible seniors receive home care in their own home. Here is how it works, in plain English.

How CDHCI works, step by step

  • AHS assesses and approves. An AHS case manager meets with your parent, assesses their needs, and approves a number of home care hours. This assessment – and the decision about how many hours are approved – is made by AHS, based on your parent's individual situation.

  • Your family chooses the provider. Your family chooses a home care provider that is approved under the program – one that fits your parent, your schedule, and your comfort level.

  • The provider bills Blue Cross. The provider delivers the care and bills Alberta Blue Cross directly for the approved hours. Your family does not have to submit invoices for those approved hours yourself.

In short: AHS decides the hours, your family chooses who provides the care, and Alberta Blue Cross handles the payment for the approved portion.

Who decides eligibility and hours?

This part matters, so we want to be clear about it: eligibility for CDHCI, and the number of hours approved, are determined by the AHS case manager – not by CHEED Home Care or any other provider.

We cannot promise that a parent will be eligible, and we cannot promise a specific number of hours. Those decisions rest with AHS after their assessment. What we can do is explain how the program works, answer your questions honestly, and – if your parent is approved and you choose CHEED – provide the care within the hours AHS has approved.

If you are not sure where to start, the first step is usually a conversation with AHS about an assessment. We are happy to talk through what to expect before you make that call.

CDHCI hours and private-pay care are separate

Some families use only their approved CDHCI hours. Others find they would like a little more support than the approved hours cover – an extra visit each week, for example – and choose to add privately paid care on top.

These two things are kept completely separate. CHEED's private rate is $30 per hour for families paying directly. CDHCI-approved hours are billed to Alberta Blue Cross under the program, at the program's arrangements – the $30 private rate does not apply to those hours, and CDHCI billing is never mixed with private payment. If you add private hours, we will always be clear with you about which hours are which before care begins.

CHEED Home Care is an approved CDHCI provider

CHEED Home Care is an approved CDHCI provider, proudly listed with Alberta Blue Cross. That means if your parent has been assessed and approved for CDHCI hours, your family can choose CHEED to provide that care, and we will bill Alberta Blue Cross directly for the approved hours.

We provide non-clinical home support – companionship, personal care such as bathing, grooming, and dressing, help with meals, light housekeeping, errands, transportation to appointments, and medication reminders. We do not provide nursing or medical care.

Choosing a provider is your family's decision. We encourage you to ask questions, take your time, and choose the people you feel comfortable welcoming into your parent's home.