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COVID-19 CMS Guidelines for Home Health

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Please review the attached guidelines for CMS-updated changes for COVID-19 here. In ordering Home Health, maintaining medical necessity takes precedence, however, CMS updated the following changes to practice.

Home Health Agencies: CMS Flexibilities to Fight COVID-19

Additional Background: Sweeping Regulatory Changes to Help U.S. Healthcare System Address COVID-19 Patient Surge

If a physician determines that a Medicare beneficiary should not leave home because of a medical contraindication or due to suspected or confirmed COVID-19, and the beneficiary needs skilled services, he or she will be considered homebound and qualify for the Medicare Home Health Benefit. As a result, the beneficiary can receive services at home

Patients Over Paperwork

Homebound Definition: A beneficiary is considered homebound when their physician advises them not to leave the home because of a confirmed or suspected COVID-19 diagnosis or if the patient has a condition that makes them more susceptible to contract COVID-19. As a result, if a beneficiary is homebound due to COVID-19 and needs skilled services, a Home Health Agency (HHA) can provide those services under the Medicare Home Health benefit.

Click here for CMS FAQs.

April 9, 2020
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