A Message from the President
Posted almost 6 years ago by Marci Newcome
ASMNP members,
A few weeks again, Representative Hagedorn sent letters to many APRN constituents confirming his co-sponsoring of bill H.R. 2150, the “Improve Medicare Access to Home Health Services Act.” I honestly did not receive a letter but my husband (an APRN) along with many colleagues and friends did. ASMNP is grateful that Rep. Hagedorn co-sponsored this important piece of legislation that would allow NPs to practice to the full extent of their license while reducing wait times over unnecessary physician signatures.
I am concerned that certain language in this letter is misleading. As his letter states “It is illogical that certified Medicare Part B providers cannot certify home health care plans for patients due to the Affordable Care Act.” This is frankly wrong. The physician requirement for home care orders has been around since home care began under Medicare in the 1970’s. The ACA added the face to face requirement but specifically stated that a NP can complete the face to face visit. A physician still needs to sign the initial home care orders.
Upon further review, it appears that the language chosen by Rep. Hagedorn was pulled from the AANP Issue Brief.
First, Medicare Part A is used for home care orders so I don’t understand why they reference Medicare Part B. Second, the sentence that NPs “are still unable to document face-to-face patient assessments” is also wrong. I spent much time researching the ACA wording and it confirms that NPs are able to complete the face to face visit even if we are unable to order the actual home care services. As a NP who practices in the home setting, I complete face to face encounters routinely and home care companies accept my documentation.
I contacted AANP Government Affairs numerous times to address these concerns. I have yet to hear back from them with clarification on the matter and to correct any misinformation I may have. I will be reaching out to Rep. Hagedorn and his team shortly to clarify this information and again to thank him for co-sponsoring this vital legislation.
I wanted to communicate this information to ASMNP members in a timely matter. I apologize that it has taken me some time to do so as I am still waiting to hear from our federal organization. Please send me any comments or clarification you may have on the matter as well.
Natalie Mohammad
ASMNP President
Suggested References:
https://oig.hhs.gov/oei/reports/oei-01-08-00390.pdf
Davitt, Joan K. and Choi, Sunha (2008) "Tracing the History of Medicare Home Health Care: The Impact of Policy on Benefit Use,"
The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare: Vol. 35 : Iss. 1 , Article 12.
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jssw/vol35/iss1/12