The Medicare Learning Network® (MLN) has just released MLN Matters Special Edition Article #SE1038 (“Home Health Face-to-Face Encounter: A New Home Health Certification Requirement”) to remind physicians who certify a patient’s eligibility for home health benefits that the Affordable Care Act mandates that they, or an allowed non-physician practitioner (NPP), document that they have had a face-to-face encounter with the patient.
Documentation regarding these encounters must be present on certifications for patients whose care starts on and after Sat Jan 1, 2011. This article is informational in nature and supports the Home Health Prospective Payment System (HHPPS) Final Rule (CMS-1510-F), as published in the Federal Register on Wed Nov 17, 2010.
For more details, please read the article at http://www.cms.gov/MLNMattersArticles/downloads/SE1038.pdf.
