Delta Connect Blog

On February 2, 2016, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule that would require a face-to-face (F2F) encounter for beneficiaries receiving Medicaid home health services.

In Change Request 9119, CMS provides clarifications and revisions to policies regarding physician certification and recertification for patient eligibility for Medicare home health services in the CY 2015 HH PPS final rule (published on November 6, 2014). 

On Wednesday, March 11 from 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will host its second call to review and obtain feedback on the draft templates to assist home health agencies in documenting a beneficiary's eligibility for home health services. 

Last week, NAHC President Val J. Halamandaris sent a letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Marilyn Tavenner. This letter urged a phased-in approach to the new home health care face-to-face documentation requirements scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2015.

The letter highlights CMS’ past willingness to phase-in new requirements for home care providers, as well as reiterating the challenges that both home health agencies and physicians will face if the new requirements are not phased-in. 

CMS will be hosting a National Provider Call on the new Home Health Face-to-Face encounter requirements on December 16, 2014.  The call will offer an overview of certifying patient eligibility for the Medicare home health benefit, which includes an overview of a new requirement for home health agencies to obtain documentation from the certifying physician's and/or the acute/post-acute care facility's medical record for the patient that served as the basis for the certification of patient eligibility.