Entry By: Eileen Bach, PT, M.Ed, DPT
Home Health care in 2011 has another new abbreviation – F2F (Face to Face) – to reflect the required MD face to face patient encounter documentation needed in home care as a result of provisions in the Affordable Care Act.
CMS posted a letter on 12/23/2010 to Senate and House key committees and other interested parties noting that full compliance with MD F2F encounters will not be expected until the 2nd quarter of 2011.
A portion of the CMS letter is pasted here:
From: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Re: Additional Time to Establish Protocols for Newly Required Face-to-Face Encounters for Home Health Certification and Hospice Recertification
Due to concerns that some providers may need additional time to establish operational protocols necessary to comply with face-to-face encounter requirements mandated by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for purposes of certification of a patient’s eligibility for Medicare home health services and of recertification for Medicare hospice services, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will expect full compliance with the requirements, beginning with the second quarter of CY2011.
End quote from CMS.
Home health care is a highly regulated and complex care setting where you are guaranteed hands-on, 1-to-1 patient treatments. If your New Year’s goal is to work smarter, not harder in the home care setting, then please join me at one of my seminars entitled “Home Health Care: Advancing Your Skill Set”.
Best wishes,
Eileen Bach