Year: 2012
Resolution Number: 47
Action Taken: Approved as Amended
Status:
Author(s): Dawn Lambrecht, MD
Sponsor: Annette Mercatante, MD
On behalf of: St. Clair County Delegation
Committee: A (Medical Care Delivery)
Resolved Section(s):
RESOLVED: That our AMA work with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to study alternatives to the requirement for face-to-face interaction to certify the need for home health care services to better address the issue of patients who may not be able to present to the doctor's office because of severity of illness or short time interval between the discharge process and obtaining an appointment at a busy office could benefit from these services. RATIONALE: The Committee believed the face-to-face requirement to be a legitimate obstacle in some cases; however, they also agree with testimony that removal of such requirement could lead to inappropriate “rubber stamping” and fraud. Therefore, the Committee amended the resolution to ask the AMA to join CMS in studying alternatives to the current requirement.
RESOLVED: That our AMA work with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to study alternatives to the requirement for face-to-face interaction to certify the need for home health care services to better address the issue of patients who may not be able to present to the doctor's office because of severity of illness or short time interval between the discharge process and obtaining an appointment at a busy office could benefit from these services. RATIONALE: The Committee believed the face-to-face requirement to be a legitimate obstacle in some cases; however, they also agree with testimony that removal of such requirement could lead to inappropriate “rubber stamping” and fraud. Therefore, the Committee amended the resolution to ask the AMA to join CMS in studying alternatives to the current requirement.
Fiscal Note: NULL
Resolution: View PDF for Remove Face-to-Face nteraction Requirement for Certification of Home Health Needs