Physician or Allowed Practitioner Signatures

Obtaining physician or allowed practitioner signatures on plans of care and/or verbal orders can be challenging at times for home health agencies.  This, in turn, can delay submission of claims and payment.  In the Medicare Benefit Policy Manual, Chapter 7, § 30.5.3, it states: “A physician or other allowed non-physician practitioner, other than the certifying physician or certifying allowed practitioner who established the home health plan of care, may sign the plan of care or the recertification statement in the absence of the certifying physician or certifying allowed practitioner. This is only permitted when such physician or allowed non-physician practitioner has been authorized to care for the certifying physician’s or allowed practitioner’s patients in his/her absence. The HHA is responsible for ensuring that the physician or allowed non-physician practitioner who signs the plan of care and recertification statement was authorized by the physician or allowed practitioner who established the plan of care and completed the certification for his/her patient in his/her absence.”  The secret is obtaining a copy of the authorization from the original physician or allowed practitioner.

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