Barbara,
I am in hospice/home health as well, but for some reasons I missed your question. You already have your answers, but I just wanted to add that both the medical director and the attending physician have to sign. It is best to not have one of your facility's physicians just give the verbal, another write the certification with the narrative statement in addition to the attending's signature.
It is doable; however, when it is time to fulfill ADR, it can be troublesome. I have been through that! Medicare contractors may want you to provide the written certification of the physician (medical director) who gave the verbal order at your facility level. That is why in our organization we have implemented that the verbal order must come from the physician who writes the statement.
In regards to external attending physicians, different physicians can do that. One can give the verbal and one signs as the attending.
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Louise Boucicaut MS, RHIA
Corporate Medical Records Manager
Community Hospice and Palliative Care
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Original Message:
Sent: 08-14-2020 13:50
From: Barbara Naimark
Subject: Hospice - Verbal and Written Initial certification
Looking for expertise in hospice - Does the physician who gives the verbal cert for admission have to be the same physician who writes the certification? I can not find specific regs that speak to the same physician or not.