Start of Care (SOC)
Initial comprehensive assessment and beginning of a patient's home health episode.
Definition
Start of Care (SOC) is the initial comprehensive assessment and beginning of a patient's home health episode.
Why it matters
The SOC establishes the patient's baseline condition, care needs, goals, and information required to develop the plan of care.
Texas Home Health Payer Contracting Playbook
When a Texas payer says “our network is closed,” it doesn’t mean every door is shut. This playbook explores three paths to pursue payer contracts, access referral networks, and secure out-of-network payments. Learn which three numbers payers check first, and how to build a stronger case for your agency.
Listen While You Read
Conversations on clinical
Episodes from Inside Home Health that put Start of Care (SOC) in operational context.
Ep 25Ep 25 · Oct 5, 2026
Home Health Is NOT “Easy” Anymore: The Hidden Complexity of Care at Home | Nurse Alice Benjamin
Nurse Alice BenjaminWatch 
Ep 22Ep 22 · Jul 27, 2026
How AI Can Give Clinicians Their Time Back
Genevieve FomWatch 
Ep 15Ep 15 · Jun 8, 2026
The Biggest Mistake Healthcare Makes About Nurses
Luke AdamsWatch
Related Blogs
SOC vs ROC vs Recertification: What's the Difference?
SOC, ROC, and Recertification all involve OASIS and Medicare documentation, but each serves a very different purpose. This guide breaks down what each assessment is, when it's required, how it affects reimbursement, and the mistakes agencies should avoid.
What Is a Comprehensive Assessment in Home Health?
A complete guide to comprehensive assessments in home health: required content, current Medicare timing, OASIS-E2, clinician responsibility, care planning, documentation errors, and a practical checklist.
Home Health Documentation Templates With Examples
A complete guide to home health documentation templates, with practical examples for skilled nursing visits, OASIS, SOC, ROC, recertification, wounds, medications, care plans, and compliance.
What Does Home Health Documentation Actually Include?
Home health documentation is much more than a visit note. Across an episode it spans the initial assessment, OASIS, skilled visits, medications, the care plan, education, physician communication, orders, reassessments, recertification, and discharge: each piece is part of the patient's larger story of care.
Why Is Your Home Health or Hospice Agency Losing Referrals Before the Start of Care?
A referral is not an admission. Learn where referrals stall between intake and Start of Care, and how ownership, visibility, and follow-up can prevent avoidable losses.