Medical Social Worker

Medicare Benefit Policy Manual (CMS Pub. 100-02, Ch.9 §40.1.2)

Medical social services can be provided by a social worker who has a bachelor's degree from a school accredited or approved by the Council on Social Work Education, and who is working under the direction of a physician. 

Services of these professionals which may be covered include, but are not limited to:

1. Assessment of the social and emotional factors related to the beneficiary’s illness, need for care, response to treatment and adjustment to care;
2. Assessment of the relationship of the beneficiary’s medical and nursing requirements to the beneficiary’s home situation, financial resources and availability of community resources;
3. Appropriate action to obtain available community resources to assist in resolving the beneficiary’s problem (NOTE: Medicare does not cover the services of a medical social worker to complete or assist in the completion of an application for Medicaid because Federal regulations require the State to provide assistance in completing the application to anyone who chooses to apply for Medicaid.);
4. Counseling services that are required by the beneficiary; and
5. Medical social services furnished to the beneficiary’s family member or caregiver on a short-term basis when the hospice can demonstrate that a brief intervention (that is, two or three visits) by a medical social worker is necessary to remove a clear and direct impediment to the effective treatment of the beneficiary’s medical condition or to the beneficiary’s rate of recovery.

Page last updated: March 20, 2008

• Doing Business with Cahaba
• Holiday Schedule
• Careers