Q. We acquired a home health agency and now employ home health nurses, physical therapists, speech therapists, etc. Can we permit workforce members to use their personal cell phones to communicate with patients? Is there a HIPAA-compliant means of doing so for calls, email, and text messages?
Q: Are outpatient departments considered part of the therapy cap for hospital-owned facilities? If so, do we need to bill with modifier –KX (Type of Bill 012X)?
Q: We are trying to educate our coding department about medical necessity, but has CMS or Medicare defined it anywhere? How can we explain it to staff?
Q: Does a hospital need to obtain the patient's written consent before obtaining physician office notes? Can I contact the physician office and request the needed information without obtaining a written consent from the patient? The office notes are needed for payment purposes.
Does case management need to be a seven-day-a-week service, or can the service succeed with coverage five days per week? As a case manager, I need to retain staff but also provide some consistency to the patients.
