Does Medicare Cover Custodial Care?
Of course it does. Medicare routinely pays for custodial care in every skilled care setting for which it provides payment. Medicare will not pay for custodial care in the absence of a skilled care plan.
Medicare covered nursing home stay
A patient receiving skilled care in a nursing home from Medicare not only receives care from skilled providers such as nurses, therapists or doctors but also receives care from custodial providers such as aides or CNA's. This care usually consists of help with bathing, dressing, ambulating , toileting, incontinence, feeding and medicating. Medicare does not exclude the custodial services but pays the entire bill because custodial care is a necessary part of the skilled care plan in a nursing home.
Medicare covered home care
Custodial care is always a part of a skilled care plan for home care. The patient receives skilled care from a nurse or therapist and custodial care from an aide for help with bathing, dressing, ambulating , toileting, incontinence, medicating and possibly feeding. Medicare pays for both types of services.
Medicare hospice care
The hospice team consists of a doctor, a nurse, a social worker, a therapist when needed, a counselor and an aide to provide custodial care. Help with activities of daily living is provided at home or in a Medicare approved hospice facility. Custodial care is always a part of a hospice plan of care and Medicare routinely pays for these services.
Please note that there is no such thing as a custodial nursing home. All nursing homes are by definition skilled care facilities because they have nurses who are skilled care providers. Also be aware that not all states license intermediate care facilities which might provide less than 24 hour registered nursing care. "Skilled care patients" in nursing homes are referred to as such because they are receiving payment from Medicare or sometimes payment from private health insurance plans. Practically all nursing home residents have medical needs but Medicare and other insurance plans will only pay for patients that have certain acute medical needs where recovery is anticipated. Patients with chronic medical problems are typically not covered by Medicare but would be covered by Medicaid.
The confusion with understanding the term "skilled nursing care" probably comes from Medicare itself. To be a certified Medicare nursing home and receive payments from Medicare a nursing home must meet the Medicare definition of a "skilled nursing facility". This means there must be registered nurses on duty 24 hours a day, there must be a doctor on call at all times and there must be ambulance service to a local hospital. Medicare may also require additional staffing and facility arrangements to receive certification. It is unfortunate that the word "skilled" is used in this definition. All nursing homes whether they meet the definition of a "skilled nursing facility" or not provide services from a nurse, doctor or therapist and this meets the medical definition of skilled care. Many states have adopted the same federal criteria for licensing their nursing homes. In some states the "skilled" definition is the only option for a nursing home. But in some states facilities with lesser services can receive different licensing classes. These might be called intermediate care facilities or "small nursing homes".
This article is provided courtesy of...
Randy Walden, CSA
Certified Senior Advisor
Heartwarming Care, LLC
http://www.heartwarmingcare.com
10209 Bridgeport Way SW
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