(a) Drugs and biologicals. Drugs and biologicals are excluded from payment under the Medicare home health benefit.

(1) A drug is any chemical compound that may be used on or administered to humans or animals as an aid in the diagnosis, treatment or prevention of disease or other condition or for the relief of pain or suffering or to control or improve any physiological pathologic condition.

(2) A biological is any medicinal preparation made from living organisms and their products including, but not limited to, serums, vaccines, antigens, and antitoxins.

(b) Transportation. The transportation of beneficiaries, whether to receive covered care or for other purposes, is excluded from home health coverage. Costs of transportation of equipment, materials, supplies, or staff may be allowable as administrative costs, but no separate payment is made for them.

(c) Services that would not be covered as inpatient services. Services that would not be covered if furnished as inpatient hospital services are excluded from home health coverage.

(d) Housekeeping services. Services whose sole purpose is to enable the beneficiary to continue residing in his or her home (for example, cooking, shopping, Meals on Wheels, cleaning, laundry) are excluded from home health coverage.

(e) Services covered under the End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) program. Services that are covered under the ESRD program and are contained in the composite rate reimbursement methodology, including any service furnished to a Medicare ESRD beneficiary that is directly related to that individual's dialysis, are excluded from coverage under the Medicare home health benefit.

(f) Prosthetic devices. Items that meet the requirements of §410.36(a)(2) of this chapter for prosthetic devices covered under Part B are excluded from home health coverage. Catheters, catheter supplies, ostomy bags, and supplies relating to ostomy care are not considered prosthetic devices if furnished under a home health plan of care and are not subject to this exclusion from coverage.

(g) Medical social services provided to family members. Except as provided in §409.45(c)(2), medical social services provided solely to members of the beneficiary's family and that are not incidental to covered medical social services being provided to the beneficiary are not covered.

[59 FR 65497, Dec. 20, 1994; 60 FR 39123, Aug. 1, 1995]