OBJECTIVE: To evaluate modalities of home care services, discussing the inclusion of nursing. METHODS: A qualitative case study conducted with four health plan providers in the city of Belo Horizonte / Minas Gerais (Brazil). Data were obtained from interviews and case management. RESULTS: The home care services are grouped into three modalities: long-term care at home; temporary care at home; and, use of intensive technologies and care. In these modalities, nurses assume care actions, management of the care, and qualifying the care through the appropriate use of soft technologies. There is a trend towards outsourcing of nursing services to home care. CONCLUSION: The inclusion of the work of nurses in home care modalities represents both a component of cost reduction and contributes to the technological transition by establishing new forms of care at home.
Home care services; Nursing care; Cost savings