Home Health & Hospice Week

CMS may not have been able to answer many questions at the latest Open Door Forum, but it has provided some follow-up guidance after the fact. However, it may not be good news for HHAs.

CMS issued a question-and-answer set to the National Association for Home Care & Hospice regarding some therapy reassessment and  face-to-face questions asked in the forum. In one of the Q&As, CMS makes clear that therapy services will still be considered non-covered even if the reason for the agency failing to make a 30-day reassessment visit it out of its control.

For example, if a patient is in the hospital, refuses a visit, has an unplanned physician visit, etc., agencies still must make the 30-day reassessment deadline, CMS maintains. "An assessment visit by a qualified therapies (per discipline) is required at least every 30 days," CMS says in the Q&As. "As such, therapy visits provided in absence of that requirement being met would not be considered covered therapy services under the Medicare home health benefit."