For 32 percent of home health claims that requiredface-to-face encounters, the documentation did not meet Medicare requirements, resulting in $2 billion in payments that should not have beenmade. Furthermore, physicians inconsistently completed the narrative portion of theface-to-face documentation. Some face-to-facedocuments provide information that, although not requiredby Medicare, could be useful, such as a printed name for the physician and a list ofthe home health services needed. CMS oversight of the face-to-facerequirementisminimal.

Source: United States Department of Health and Human Services. (2014). Limited compliance with Medicare's home health face-to-face documentation requirements. Retrieved fromhttp://oig.hhs.gov/oei/reports/oei-01-12-00390.asp(Links to an external site.)

1. What should CMS do to ensure that all patients that need a face-to-face encounter receive one?