Medicare Fee-for-Service Health Care
As a condition for payment, the Affordable Care Act mandates that prior to certifying a patient’s eligibility for the home health benefit, the certifying physician must document that he or she, or an allowed non-physician practitioner (NPP) has had a face-to-face encounter with the patient. Documentation regarding these encounters must be present on certifications for patients with starts of care on and after January 1, 2011.