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License for Use of "Physicians' Current Procedural Terminology", (CPT) Fourth Edition

End User/Point and Click Agreement: CPT codes, descriptions and other data only are copyright 2009 American Medical Association (AMA). All Rights Reserved (or such other date of publication of CPT). CPT is a trademark of the AMA.

You, your employees and agents are authorized to use CPT only as contained in the following authorized materials including but not limited to CGS fee schedules, general communications, Medicare Bulletin, and related materials internally within your organization within the United States for the sole use by yourself, employees, and agents. Use is limited to use in Medicare, Medicaid, or other programs administered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). You agree to take all necessary steps to insure that your employees and agents abide by the terms of this agreement.

Any use not authorized herein is prohibited, including by way of illustration and not by way of limitation, making copies of CPT for resale and/or license, transferring copies of CPT to any party not bound by this agreement, creating any modified or derivative work of CPT, or making any commercial use of CPT. License to use CPT for any use not authorized here in must be obtained through the AMA, CPT Intellectual Property Services, 515 N. State Street, Chicago, IL 60610. Applications are available at the AMA websiteExternal Website.

This product includes CPT which is commercial technical data and/or computer data bases and/or commercial computer software and/or commercial computer software documentation, as applicable which were developed exclusively at private expense by the American Medical Association, 515 North State Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60610. U.S. Government rights to use, modify, reproduce, release, perform, display, or disclose these technical data and/or computer data bases and/or computer software and/or computer software documentation are subject to the limited rights restrictions of DFARS 252.227-7015(b)(2)(June 1995) and/or subject to the restrictions of DFARS 227.7202-1(a)(June 1995) and DFARS 227.7202-3(a)June 1995), as applicable for U.S. Department of Defense procurements and the limited rights restrictions of FAR 52.227-14 (June 1987) and/or subject to the restricted rights provisions of FAR 52.227-14 (June 1987) and FAR 52.227-19 (June 1987), as applicable, and any applicable agency FAR Supplements, for non-Department Federal procurements.

AMA Disclaimer of Warranties and Liabilities.

CPT is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, including but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. AMA warrants that due to the nature of CPT, it does not manipulate or process dates, therefore there is no Year 2000 issue with CPT. AMA disclaims responsibility for any errors in CPT that may arise as a result of CPT being used in conjunction with any software and/or hardware system that is not Year 2000 compliant. No fee schedules, basic unit, relative values or related listings are included in CPT. The AMA does not directly or indirectly practice medicine or dispense medical services. The responsibility for the content of this file/product is with CGS or the CMS and no endorsement by the AMA is intended or implied. The AMA disclaims responsibility for any consequences or liability attributable to or related to any use, non-use, or interpretation of information contained or not contained in this file/product. This Agreement will terminate upon notice if you violate its terms. The AMA is a third party beneficiary to this Agreement.

CMS Disclaimer

The scope of this license is determined by the AMA, the copyright holder. Any questions pertaining to the license or use of the CPT must be addressed to the AMA. End Users do not act for or on behalf of the CMS. CMS DISCLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY LIABILITY ATTRIBUTABLE TO END USER USE OF THE CPT. CMS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIMS ATTRIBUTABLE TO ANY ERRORS, OMISSIONS, OR OTHER INACCURACIES IN THE INFORMATION OR MATERIAL CONTAINED ON THIS PAGE. In no event shall CMS be liable for direct, indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of the use of such information or material.

This license will terminate upon notice to you if you violate the terms of this license. The AMA is a third party beneficiary to this license.

POINT AND CLICK LICENSE FOR USE OF "CURRENT DENTAL TERMINOLOGY", ("CDT")

End User License Agreement

These materials contain Current Dental Terminology, Fourth Edition (CDT), copyright © 2002, 2004 American Dental Association (ADA). All rights reserved. CDT is a trademark of the ADA.

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  1. Subject to the terms and conditions contained in this Agreement, you, your employees, and agents are authorized to use CDT-4 only as contained in the following authorized materials and solely for internal use by yourself, employees and agents within your organization within the United States and its territories. Use of CDT-4 is limited to use in programs administered by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). You agree to take all necessary steps to ensure that your employees and agents abide by the terms of this agreement. You acknowledge that the ADA holds all copyright, trademark and other rights in CDT-4. You shall not remove, alter, or obscure any ADA copyright notices or other proprietary rights notices included in the materials.
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Impact

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Home Health Face-to-Face (FTF) Encounter

The initial (Start of Care) certification must include documentation that an allowed physician or non-physician practitioner (NPP) had a face-to-face (FTF) encounter with the patient. The FTF encounter must be related to the primary reason for the home care admission. This requirement is a condition of payment. Without a complete initial certification, there cannot be subsequent episodes. Claims may be denied if the FTF documentation is not complete.

Time Frame for the Encounter

The FTF encounter must occur within 90 days prior to the Start of Care (SOC) or 30 days after the SOC. The FTF documentation must show the FTF encounter occurred within this timeframe.

Who Performs and Signs the FTF Encounter

The FTF encounter must be performed by the allowed practitioner himself or herself, a physician or allowed practitioner that cared for the patient in the acute or post-acute care facility (with privileges who cared for the patient in an acute or post-acute care facility from which the patient was directly admitted to home health), or an allowed non-physician practitioner (NPP). An NPP in an acute or post-acute facility from which the patient was directly admitted to home health is able to perform the FTF encounter in collaboration with or under the supervision of the physician who had privileges and cared for the patient in the acute or post-acute facility. Only the certifying physician can attest to the date of the encounter on either the certification, or a signed addendum to the certification.

FTF Documentation

As of January 1, 2015, documentation in the certifying physician's medical records and/or the acute /post-acute care facility's medical records (if the patient was directly admitted to home health) will be used as the basis upon which patient eligibility for the Medicare home health benefit will be determined.

To be eligible for the home health benefit, a physician must certify that the patient meets the following requirements.

  • Be confined to the home;
  • Under the care of a physician or an allowed practitioner;
  • A plan of care has been established and is periodically reviewed by a physician or allowed practitioner; and
  • The services are or were furnished while the patient is or was under the care of a physician or allowed practitioner

The home health agencies generated medical record documentation, by itself, is not sufficient in demonstrating the patient's eligibility for the home health benefit. Therefore, home health documentation such as, an admit summary, part of the OASIS, or a therapy evaluation/therapy notes, nurses notes that support the certification must be signed off by the certifying physician and incorporated into the physician or acute/post-acute care facility's medical record to help support the FTF. Documentation must correspond to the dates of service being billed and not contradict the certifying physician's and/or the acute/post-acute care facility's own documentation or medical record entries.

Documentation from the certifying physician's medical records and/or the acute /post-acute care facility's medical records (if the patient was directly admitted to home health) used to support the certification of home health eligibility must be provided, upon request, to the home health agency, review entities, and/or the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

The certifying physician and/or the acute/post-acute care facility medical record (if the patient was directly admitted to home health) for the patient must contain the actual clinical note for the face-to-face encounter visit that demonstrates that the encounter:

  • Occurred within the required timeframe,
  • Was related to the primary reason the patient requires home health services; and
  • Was performed by an allowed provider type.

This information can be found most often in clinical and progress notes and discharge summaries.

Billing Responsibilities

As the billing entity, it is the responsibility of the home health agency to:

  • Facilitate and coordinate between patient and physician to ensure the FTF occurs timely;
  • Ensure all FTF requirements are met;
  • Delay submission of the final claim until all FTF requirements and documentation is met.

Additional Resources

Updated: 12.20.21

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