New CMS Requirement for Face-to-Face Documentation
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid recently issued a new mandate that requires physician documentation/certification for Medicare patients to receive new home health service. The regulations are mandated under the federal Affordable Care Act and add another responsibility on both home health and hospital providers.
The regulations require that the patient has a documented face-to-face encounter with an attending physician, nurse practitioner or physician assistant, and that the face-to-face form is signed by an attending physician. The form must be completed before discharging a patient from BWH. This new regulation builds on the current requirement to certify the plan of care for home care post discharge. CMS requires this documentation in order to pay for the home health services.
Key Process Changes:
Care Coordination, with the help of unit-based nursing personnel, will place a copy of the face-to-face form on the front of the chart and alert the patient’s team/nurse as to the need for the form.
Please view the form and specific requirements on BWHPikeNotes.org > Forms > Patient Care > For Caregivers.
Email facetoface@partners.org, or Joanne Hogan, RN, executive director, Care Coordination, at jhogan1@partners.org with questions.
The attending, nurse practitioner or physician assistant will fill out the form, and an attending physician must sign the form.
When Nursing sends the Patient Care Referral Form (PCRF) to the home health provider, the face-to-face certification form will be included.