Eli's Hospice Insider

Watch out for physician signature problems.

The problem: One top cause of denials for reason code 55H1B (Untimely Certification/Recertification) is that the physician signature lacks a valid date, HHH Medicare Administrative Contractor subcontractor National Government Services says in a new tool on its website, "Understanding Technical Denial Reason Codes for Hospice Claims."

The solution: "A date must follow the certifying physician's signature," NGS explains in another tool, "Tips for Avoiding Top Hospice Technical Denials." Remember that date stamping is no longer allowed under Medicare rules, experts point out. For a copy of the new tools, e-mail editor Rebecca Johnson at rebeccaj@eliresearch.com with "Hospice Tech Denial Tools" in the subject line.