Many older individuals wish to stay in their home as long as possible. Doing so may be difficult, which is why Home Health Care Services in Nassau County have become more popular. However, families may worry about how they are going to pay for these services. There are situations where Medicare will cover part or all of the cost. Who is eligible for this type of care?
Eligibility
First and foremost, the person must be covered under Part A and Part B to have their home health care services paid for by Medicare. They must also be receiving care from a doctor, and he or she must order this care. To do so, the medical professional will need to create a plan of care that includes the services and review it regularly.
Requirements
To have one or more services paid for through Medicare, a doctor must certify the patient needs intermittent skilled nursing care. This care must involve more than drawing blood also. Various therapy services may also be covered, including continued occupational, physical, and speech-language pathology therapy. The only way they will be covered, however, is when the services have been deemed to be safe, specific, and appropriate for the treatment of the designated condition. Furthermore, the frequency, time range and amount of the services must be reasonable and only qualified therapists can provide these services due to their complexity.
The services have to be helpful in treating the condition in a reasonable time frame. If they aren’t, a skilled therapist must be called in to develop a maintenance plan that is both safe and effective. If these two qualifications cannot be met, the skilled therapist will be required to perform maintenance therapy that is both safe and effective. Any agency providing these services must be approved by Medicare also.
A patient must be homebound to receive these services through Medicare, and a doctor needs to certify to this. In the event more than intermittent or part-time skilled care is required, Medicare won’t cover the services. However, the patient may leave home for short periods of time, such as to attend church or see a doctor. Adult daycare services won’t disqualify a person from obtaining the services through Medicare either. Visit us to learn more about Home Health Care Services in Nassau County and what may be covered by Medicare.
