Services and care of a nonmedical nature to assist a patient in the activities of daily living (ADLs) on a long-term basis, usually for convalescent and chronically ill persons. This type of care includes acting as a companion and help in bathing, dressing, eating, preparation of special diets, supervision over self-administration of medications, using the toilet, and walking. Custodial care may or may not be a benefit of an insurance plan. In most cases, Medicare does not pay for custodial care but the Medicare home health benefit does pay for some personal care services.

Setting of care or institution that provides room, board, and other personal assistance services usually on a long-term basis and does not include a medical component.

1. Divorced parent the child lives with who bears the responsibility of the child’s medical expenses unless the divorce decree states otherwise. 2. Adoptive parent who becomes the legal parent of a child who was not born to him or her such as stepparent or relative and who bears the responsibility of the child’s medical expenses.

Employee who is legally responsible and has charge and custody of the care and handling for all the patient’s medical records in a hospital facility or physician’s medical practice. Electronically stored information has four levels of custodianship such as primary or direct custodian (e.g., staff nurse), data owner or steward (e.g., radiologist, pathologist, accountant), business associate and third party (e.g., claims clearinghouse, Internet service provider), and official record and system custodian (e.g., health information management department). Also called custodian.