Geofence
A virtual geographic boundary defined around a client's home address, used by EVV systems to verify that a caregiver was physically present at the correct location when clocking in and out of a shift.
Also known as: geofence · GPS boundary · location fence · EVV geofence · location verification zone
A geofence is a GPS-defined perimeter around a specific location — in home care, typically the client's home address. When a caregiver clocks in via the mobile EVV app, the system checks whether the caregiver's GPS coordinates fall within the geofenced area.
If the clock-in occurs outside the geofence, it is flagged as an exception. Exceptions require a manual justification (e.g., the client was temporarily at a family member's home) and may affect billability depending on the payer.
Geofencing is a primary mechanism for preventing EVV fraud (billing for visits that did not occur at the authorized location).
In home care, this means…
A component of EVV systems. Geofence exceptions are flagged for review by the scheduling or billing team.
Related terms
EVV (Electronic Visit Verification) →
A technology system that electronically verifies caregiver presence, time, and location at a client's home at the start and end of each visit. Federally mandated for Medicaid and VA home care services.
EVV Mandate →
The federal requirement that all Medicaid personal care and home health services use Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) to document service delivery. States implement the mandate at their own pace within federal guidelines.
Visit →
The executed instance of a shift — the actual delivery of care including clock-in, task performance, documentation, and clock-out. The visit is the billing unit in home care.
Compliance →
Adherence to applicable laws, regulations, payer requirements, and agency policies. In home care, compliance spans licensing, caregiver certification, EVV, billing accuracy, documentation standards, and mandatory reporting obligations.