Home Health & Hospice Week

A different physician can sign the patient's plan of care, however. If Medicare's final rule guidance on the new face to face encounter (FFE) has left you confused, you aren't alone. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services spent much of the Dec. 1 Open Door Forum clearing up confusion about the FFE requirement and the guidance it offered in the 2011 prospective payment system final rule. The bottom line: Starting Jan. 1, the physician who certifies the patient for home care must also perform the face to face encounter (FFE) and document it, CMS's Randy Throndset emphasized in the forum. Home health agencies must consider the FFE documentation part of the certification, even if the FFE portion is a separate addendum, Throndset explained. They "must travel together and can't be dealt with separately." On the other hand: A different physician can sign the patient's plan of care, CMS's Lori [...]