Re: please advise _ homebound rules

[Barbara Smith <KMCRAE@xxxxxxx>]

We had a visiting nurse for over a year, but in the beginning of 1998, the
rules changed, and she was no longer available to us.  I think that the
patient must not be able to leave the house except for certain listed things
and that there is an hours per month limit too.  It is not the fault of the
nurse.  The agency that sends her would lose its Medicare approval if they
broke the rules.  I read somewhere that many home health care agencies have
been taken off the Medicare approved list for sending help to people who are
not completely housebound.  It does seem unfair, but I guess they think if she
can go out with you, she can get to the services she needs.  I know we miss
having the nurse checkup on Ken every two weeks, but we also like to take him
out to eat or to see the sights, so we had to give up the nurse.
Barbara Smith,cg/Ken/70/17