home care for home-bound status

Introduction

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

More general terms

• home care