Home health is an increasingly vital part of our nation’s healthcare system, helping patients recover and reducing avoidable hospital visits in a more efficient, familiar and value-based manner than other options.

When the time comes and you need healthcare, we understand the preferred setting is the comfort and familiarity of your home, however, it’s important to know what requirements have been established regarding eligibility.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has established (and enforces) criteria for home healthcare eligibility, as follows:

1. Patients must be under the care of a physician and receiving services under a plan of care established and reviewed regularly by a physician.
2. A physician must certify that patients need one or more of the following:
   • Intermittent skilled nursing care
   • Physical therapy
   • Speech-language pathology services
   • Continued occupational therapy
3. The home health agency caring for patients must be Medicare-certified.
4. A physician must certify that a patient is homebound. To be homebound means the following:
   • Leaving the home isn’t recommended because of the patient’s condition.
   • The patient’s condition keeps him or her from leaving home without help (such as using a wheelchair or walker, needing special transportation, or getting help from another person).
   • Leaving home takes a considerable and taxing effort.
5. A person on home health services may leave home for medical treatment or short, infrequent absences for non-medical reasons, such as attending religious services.

To learn more about Medicare criteria for home health care patients, visit medicare.gov

LHC Group is committed to delivering a higher standard of care. For us, it’s all about helping people. To locate a home health agency near you, please visit lhcgroup.com and contact us today.