Home Health & Hospice Week

You'd better be sure how to document a change in your hospice patient's attending physician.

Otherwise, reviewers could deny the patient's entire claim. "If the patient/representative wants to change their designated attending physician, they must file a signed [election] statement with the hospice," HHH Medicare Administrative Contractor CGS says on its webpage about election statement requirements.

A valid election statement must include the following information, CGS says: identification of the new attending physician including "enough detail to clearly identify the attending physician," which may include, but is not limited to, the physician's full name, office address, or National Provider Identifier (NPI); the date the change is effective; an acknowledgement that the change in attending physician was their choice; the patient's or rep's signature; and the date the statement was signed.

See more information on CGS's webpage at www.cgsmedicare.com/hhh/coverage/coverage_guidelines/election_requirements.html.