Face to Face (F2F) /Medicare Medicaid Support

F2F documentation required

When a patient is receiving Medicare and admitted to Center for Hospice Care, there are two types of (F2F) documentation that Medicare requires.

The one that is required is dependent on the hospice services the patient is receiving.

Physician/Patient F2F

F2F encounter between the physician and the patient they refer to Center for Hospice Care is required. This step is for patients receiving palliative care services while also having a hospice-qualified diagnosis of six months or less, if the disease runs its normal course.

To satisfy the F2F requirements, the physician must include the patient’s name, date of the encounter with the patient, what makes the patient homebound, and what condition requires skilled home health services as well as the physician’s signature and date.

Hospice Physician or Nurse Practitioner F2F

When a patient has elected the Medicare Hospice Benefit, Medicare also requires a F2F encounter be performed and documented by a hospice physician or a nurse practitioner employed by hospice.

This encounter must happen prior to the patient’s third benefit period (before 180 days) and for each subsequent 60-day benefit period. Generally, doing this 15 days before the new benefit begins works well.

The encounter must happen wherever the patient lives.

If a nurse practitioner performs the F2F, the Center for Hospice Care Medical Director must provide the oral or written certification of the patient’s terminal illness.