Industry Note:
Keep Unnecessary Frequencies Off HHABNs, MAC Advises
Published on Thu Aug 02, 2012
Don't provide too many details in a home health advance beneficiary notice, or you'll just create more paperwork for yourself.You may include a frequency of the noncovered service on the Option Box 1 HHABN, HHH MAC NHIC allows in a newly posted question-and-answer on the topic -- but you may not want to. "In some instances it may be appropriate to omit a frequency," NHIC advises.For example: "If a patient wishes to receive home health aide services, you could give an HHABN with the per visit cost of the aide services but without a frequency," NHIC offers. "In this instance, the patient could begin having the aide visit twice a week and then perhaps increase to three times a week without an additional HHABN being needed," the MAC explains in the Q&A drawn from its May 30 teleconference on the HHABN.