To:        NHPCO Membership
From:   NHPCO Regulatory Team
Re:        November 5, 2009

CMS Issues Clarification on How to Round for Visit Time Reporting

Today, CMS issued a clarification to CR6440 when rounding for the 15 minute increments in time reporting, in response to questions posed to NHPCO by providers over the last few days. Apply this rounding process when calculating visits and social work phone calls under CR6440.

CMS Q&A:

Question: Change Request 6440 requires time reporting of most hospice visits on claims. How should hospice providers report the time for visits when the visit takes less than 15 minutes?

Answer: All visits up to 15 minutes are reported as one 15-minute increment, regardless of the length of the visit. Visits longer than 15 minutes are rounded to the nearest 15 minute increment (up or down). For example, a 5 minute visit is counted as 1 15-minute increment, a 20 minute visit is counted as 1 increment, and a 25 minute visit is counted as 2 increments.

The complete text of the Q&A may be found on the CMS hospice page. Scroll down to the “How to Stay Informed” section and click on “Questions and Answers: Hospice.” The clarification is ID #9887. The CMS response can be found online at the CMS hospice page. 

Member needing further clarification may direct inquiries to regulatory@nhpco.org.