CMS: Physicans Must Meet with Those Seeking Hospice, Home Health Certification

CMS has begun to implement a new law that requires physicians to meet face-to-face with individuals who are seeking to become certified for Medicare home health and hospice services. The law, part of the Affordable Care Act, technically went into effect on January 1, but CMS granted struggling agencies more time to adjust to adjust to the new requirements.

Physicians who make certification decisions are now required to provide documentation that states they met with the patient in person. For home health, this must happen within 90 days before the start of care or 30 days after the start of care. Hospice physicians or nurse practitioners must meet with a hospice patient prior to the patient's 180-days recertification and for each subsequent recertification. This must happen no more than 30 days prior to the start of the hospice patient's third benefit period.

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