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home care for home-bound status
Medicare considers a patient homebound if :
- patient must need a supportive device, special transportation, or the assistance of another person to leave home, or
- patient has a condition that makes leaving the home medically contraindicated
- there must be a *normal inability to leave the home* &
- leaving the home must require a considerable & taxing effort
*normal inability to leave the home*
- departures from home are infrequent, of short duration, or necessary to receive health care services
- barriers to leaving home unassisted can be related to cognitive or mental health conditions
- leaving the house for medical reasons, including medical appointments, adult day centers, & hemodialysis, is permitted, regardless of frequency
- Medicare also considers any absence from the home to attend religious services to be infrequent & of short duration
General
home care
References
- Geriatric Review Syllabus, 11th edition (GRS11)
Harper GM, Lyons WL, Potter JF (eds)
American Geriatrics Society, 2022