# Home Health Billing - family practice doctor



## chavera (May 30, 2012)

Hello,

I work for a family practice doctor who has patients that are in nursing homes. We receive the home health certifications and the doctor signs off on it. My question is how should the doctor bill for his service in regards to the date? Should he send out the charge with the date he signed off on or the date the patients' certification period began? 

Thanks


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## katesanchezoo@yahoo.com (Jul 11, 2012)

chavera said:


> Hello,
> 
> I work for a family practice doctor who has patients that are in nursing homes. We receive the home health certifications and the doctor signs off on it. My question is how should the doctor bill for his service in regards to the date? Should he send out the charge with the date he signed off on or the date the patients' certification period began?
> 
> Thanks


hello i also work for a family practice and it is really confusing because my doctor does the same thing im pretty much learnign everything off a wing. i have been billing it from the date that my dr signs but some are getting denied because recertification g0179 you can only do these every 61 days so im trying to figure out which date am i suppose to use.


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## wavesograin (Jul 11, 2012)

The DOS to bill is the first date of the recertification period that is on the form that is received from the home health agency. For G0179, you have to verify that the recert date is on the 61st day from the previous date that this code was billed. It is rarely the same date that the physician signs off on the form.


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## coder2533 (Sep 18, 2013)

I disagree with that. Per WPS the DOS is the date that the physician performed the service, which would be signing the form. It is described that way here http://www.wpsmedicare.com/j5macpartb/resources/provider_types/cert-recert-covered-hhs.shtml


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## ABridgman (Sep 18, 2013)

I agree with coder.

We have always used the date the doctor signs off.

We record the date range - as the date range for which the re-cert applies - but on line 24, the actual DOS, we use the date the doctor signed off.


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## dmomaj (Nov 29, 2016)

*Cpc*

I have always billed with the date at the top of the form. If it is an initial Home Health, meaning G0180, then the Start of Care Date, is the date that I use. If it is a follow up visit, G0179, then I use the first date in the Certification Period box.


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