Beginning July 1, 2013 providers must have a face-to-face encounter with the beneficiary at least 6 months prior to orders for certain items of durable medical equipment (DME) for Medicare patients. This requirement is included in the Affordable Care Act and finalized as part of the 2013 Medicare physician fee schedule.
CMS released an MLN Matters article to provide detailed information about this requirement and a transmittal, which adds this change and instructions to the Medicare Program Integrity Manual.
For more information please visit the CMS website: http://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Medicare-Fee-for-Service-Payment/PhysicianFeeSched/index.html?redirect=/physicianfeesched/