Home Care: Understanding Medicare Terminology Por WN (NAPSA)—To test your knowledge of the Medicare system, match the number of each question with the appropriate lettered description: What is homeboundstatus? Whatis a physician referral? Whatis a clarifying order? Whatare skilled services? Whatis skilled care? . Services that are medically reasonable and necessary to the treatment of a patient and which must be provided by a qualified professional. B. The type of care that must be demonstrated in Medicare documentation. C. This is defined as when a person is unable to leave home or cannot do so without considerable and taxingeffort. D. Medicare requires one of these prior to furnishing home care services to a beneficiary. E. A document required when a significant change is made to the patient’s plan of treatment. Answers 1. C; 2. D; 3. E; 4. A; 5. B. If some of the above terminology sounds unfamiliar, and if you or a family member are in need of—or may soon require—home health care, there may be numerous benefits to seeking outside assistance. Companies such as Interim HealthCare employ individuals to provide specific services that help with activities of daily living such as preparing meals, light house- Cod te N ~ Working with a home health agency can makeit easier to get necessary services through Medicare. work, bathing and companionship. The agency can alleviate consumers of many of the problems they mayface if they hire an independent contractor becauseit is responsible for taxes, insurance, bonding and workers’ compensation. Also, if an employeeis sick or goes on vacation, the agency pro- vides another employee to perform the needed services. In addition, the agency is often licensed to provide a higher level of home care(skilled nursing, for example) for individuals. That means that as a person’s needs change, he or she does not need to work with more than one company. Working with one company can makeit easier to access formal payer sources such as Medicare. For more information, visit the Web site at www.interimhealth care.com.
