What must a physician certify for a patient to receive Medicare-covered home health services?

The patient is homebound and requires intermittent skilled care.

Accessing formalized, often government-covered, home health care hinges on meeting strict criteria primarily outlined by programs like Medicare. The certification process requires a physician to formally attest to two main conditions: first, that the patient meets the definition of homebound status, meaning leaving the residence requires considerable and taxing effort. Second, the physician must certify the necessity of intermittent skilled care. Intermittent implies the care is provided only for a limited duration, either measured in hours per day or days per week, based strictly on the acute or chronic needs requiring professional clinical attention, distinguishing it from continuous custodial support.