Home Health & Hospice Week

But only if their states allow it.

Home health agencies that have felt leery about using the new, permanent ability of nonphysician practitioners to order and certify home health may draw comfort from the fact that HHH MACs are spreading the word about the change.

The CARES Act allows “Nurse Practitioners (NPs), certified Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNSs), and Physician Assistants (PAs) to certify beneficiaries for eligibility under the Medicare home health benefit and oversee their plan of care,” Medicare Adminis­trative Contractors CGS and Palmetto GBA say in recent identical posts to their websites. “This is a permanent change that will continue after the Public Health Emergency.”

And nonphysician practitioners can bill for their efforts too, the MACs assure. NPs, CNSs, and PAs may bill G0179 (Physician re-certification for Medicare-covered home health services under a home health plan of care (patient not present), including contacts with home health agency and review of reports of patient status required by physicians to affirm the initial implementation of the plan of care); G0180 (Physician certifi­cation for Medicare-covered home health services under a home health plan of care (patient not present), including contacts with home health agency and review of reports of patient status required by physicians to affirm the initial implementation of the plan of care); and G0181 (Physician supervision of a patient receiving Medicare-covered services provided by a participating home health agency (patient not present) requiring complex and multidisci­plinary care modalities involving regular physician development and/or revision of care plans).

“The descriptors of the three codes will be revised at a later date to include the non-physician practitioner specialties,” the MACs say.

But remember: Providers must “verify these services are provided in accordance with the state’s scope of practice,” Palmetto adds. “Billing periods that utilize nonphysician practitioners not in accordance with the state’s defined scope of practice may result in claim denials or non-affirmations,” the MAC warns.