Domiciliary hospitalisation can happen under two circumstances.
Health insurance helps us cover for different sorts of medical emergencies. However, there are times when the requirements of health services are required beyond the stay at a hospital. What helps us cover for such medical emergencies is called as domiciliary hospitalisation.
“Domiciliary hospitalisation refers to a situation where a person is considered hospitalised even if they are receiving treatment at home,” said Meena Ganesh, MD and CEO of Portea Medical.
Any expenses incurred under this kind of a set-up are covered by an insurance provider. But there are certain requirements that the patient has to meet. The pre-requisite for this cover is that the patient needs to get a doctor’s recommendation and his illness should continue for at least three days.
- The condition of the patient is such that he/she cannot be moved to the hospital or nursing home.
- The patient cannot be moved to the hospital or nursing home for lack of accommodation.
Domiciliary hospitalisation allows a patient the comfort of getting treated at home and also saves the family members from the hassles of hospital attendance. Domiciliary hospitalisation can help patients in cases of unavailability of hospital beds and also help them in getting quality healthcare at home.
Insurance buyers should get a comprehensive cover for as many medical needs as possible. Still, home health care is not an extremely popular service and only few insurers include the option of domiciliary hospitalisation in their policies. Few insurers allow to utilise the benefit by adding an additional rider for a separate sum insured.
“I am sure, that with the extensive focus of the government on medical infrastructure, we will soon see some landmark changes in healthcare policies that will help patients in need of home healthcare in India,” added Ganesh.
Among all this, it’s important to note that not all health conditions can be treated at home, thus domiciliary hospitalisation is carried out only under treating doctor or hospitals prescription.
Moreover, treatments for various health issues like asthma, hypertension, epilepsy, diabetes, diarrhoea and others are not covered under domiciliary hospitalisation.
It’s important to read the inclusion and exclusions of the policy carefully and terms and conditions to be ready for risks. If you are well prepared, you can take health services at home as well.