According to eligibility rules, what does being classified as 'homebound' imply for a patient?
Answer
Departure from home requires considerable and taxing effort, with absences being infrequent or short.
The homebound requirement is a fundamental gatekeeping criterion for accessing Medicare-covered home health care. It establishes a measure of the patient’s physical capacity to seek care externally. Being homebound does not equate to total immobility or confinement; instead, it signifies that any effort made to leave the residence, even for necessary outings such as doctor visits, is substantially difficult, arduous, and taxing for the individual. Absences are generally expected to be rare and brief to satisfy this designation.
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