CMS has announced its concern regarding the level of compliance for documenting the face-to-face elements necessary for home health care certification.
Attached is an educational piece published by Novitas Solutions on its Part B website.
It lists the qualification criteria for home health benefits:
- Be confined to a home;
- Under the care of a physician;
- Receiving services under a plan of care established and periodically reviewed by a physician;
- Be in need of skilled nursing care on an intermittent basis or physical therapy or speech-language pathology; or
- Have a continuing need for occupational therapy.
The article then proceeds to list the major documentation errors:
- The encounter was related to the primary reason for home care;
- How the patient’s condition supports the patient’s homebound status; or
- How the patient’s condition supports the need for skilled services.
Finally, the article provides examples of appropriate documentation, which are contained in the article itself.
