An individual must be homebound to receive home health benefits through Medicare. But what exactly does “homebound” mean? When you hear the word, you might not think it applies to you or your loved one. However, the criteria for homebound status may surprise you. Let’s look at what it really means!
To qualify as “homebound,” a patient must either:
- Have a condition that makes leaving their home medically harmful, OR
- Require special transportation, assistance from another person, or mobility aids (such as crutches, canes, wheelchairs, and walkers) in order to leave home due to an illness or injury
If one of the situations above applies, the patient must also meet two additional requirements:
- They must normally be unable to leave home, AND
- Leaving home must require a considerable and taxing effort, and any trips away from home must be brief and infrequent.
Someone who is homebound may still leave home for short and/or infrequent excursions. For example, occasionally getting their hair done, going to a wedding or graduation, attending adult day care, or receiving certain treatments.
If you’re still unsure whether you or your loved one qualify for home health services, talk to your doctor or connect with our team at https://www.aveanna.com/home-health/home-health.html