Is a patient homebound? This guide might help

Southern Home Care of Jeffersonville, IN, gives nurses and referral physicians a laminated card that offers tips about how Medicare determines whether a patient is homebound.

The card reads:

Is the patient homebound?

· When the patient leaves home, does it require considerable and taxing effort?

· When patient leaves home, are the absences infrequent or for short durations?

· When the patient leaves home, is it primarily to receive medical treatment?

· Are non-medical absences from home such as walks around the block, drives, and trips to the barber infrequent or of relatively short duration?

· The care cannot be provided outside the home even if the patient is able to leave for non-medical reasons.

For a patient to be considered homebound, the answers to all of the above questions should be "yes." If not, call Southern Home Care at (812) 283-9190, to check on homebound status.