CMS Releases New Version of Draft Clinical Template for Home Health Face-to-Face Encounters.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released version 4.1 of the draft clinical template for physician documentation of the Home Health Prospective Payment System face-to-face examination requirement.  Physicians may voluntarily use the template as a progress or clinic note to document support for the face-to-face requirement.  Although physicians may “skip” sections and complete only relevant sections for each patient, the template must contain all relevant information sufficient for billing at the appropriate Evaluation and Management code level.

The template is available in both paper and electronic formats.  CMS is soliciting comments on ways to improve the template to increase physician compliance with the face-to-face requirement and on how to potentially decrease the template’s length. Comments may be sent to [email protected].  CMS is also hosting a series of Special Open Door Forum calls to address feedback on the draft template.

Further information on the paper electronic template is available at:

http://cms.hhs.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Monitoring-Programs/Medicare-FFS-Compliance-Programs/Medical-Review/Home_Health_Medical_Review_Update.html.

Further information on the draft electronic template is available at:

http://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Computer-Data-and-Systems/Electronic-Clinical-Templates/HomeHealthHHElectronicClinicalTemplate.html.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.  “Home Health Medical Review.”  18 Feb. 2015

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.  “Home Health (HH) Electronic Clinical Template.”

18 Feb. 2015.