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Home Health Aide Services

Medicare Benefit Policy Manual (CMS Pub. 100-02, Ch. 7, § 50.2)External PDF

Home health aide covered services may include:

  • Personal care including:
    • bathing
    • wound dressing
    • grooming
    • hair care
    • nail care
    • assistance with ambulation
    • changing position in bed
    • assistance with transfers
    • oral hygiene
    • changing bed linens of an incontinent beneficiary
    • shaving
    • deodorant application
    • skin care with lotions and/or powder
    • foot care
    • ear care
    • feeding
    • assistance with elimination (enemas, routine catheter care, routine colostomy care)
  • Simple dressing changes that do not require the skills of a nurse
  • Assistance with medications that are ordinarily self-administered and do not require the skills of a licensed nurse to be provided safely and effectively, and may include:
    • handing the bottle to the beneficiary
    • opening the bottle
    • handing the beneficiary water or other liquid to take the medication
    • prefilling syringes if not prohibited by state law
    • reminding the beneficiary to take prescribed medication

      Note: aide services to assist the beneficiary in "prefilling" mediplanners are not covered.

  • Assistance with activities that are directly supportive of skilled therapy services but do not require the skills of a therapist to be safely and effectively performed. Examples: routine maintenance exercises and repetitive speech routines to support speech-language pathology services.

Reviewed: 12.10.21

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