(a) General. Except as specified in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section, payment for care plan oversight is included in the payment for visits and other services under the physician fee schedule. For purposes of this section a nonphysician practitioner (NPP) is a nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist or physician assistant.

(b) Exception. Separate payment is made under the following conditions for physician care plan oversight services furnished to beneficiaries who receive HHA and hospice services that are covered by Medicare:

(1) The care plan oversight services require recurrent physician supervision of therapy involving 30 or more minutes of the physician's time per month.

(2) Payment is made to only one physician per patient for services furnished during a calendar month period. The physician must have furnished a service requiring a face-to-face encounter with the patient at least once during the 6-month period before the month for which care plan oversight payment is first billed. The physician may not have a significant ownership interest in, or financial or contractual relationship with, the HHA in accordance with §424.22(d) of this chapter. The physician may not be the medical director or employee of the hospice and may not furnish services under an arrangement with the hospice.

(3) If a physician furnishes care plan oversight services during a postoperative period, payment for care plan oversight services is made if the services are documented in the patient's medical record as unrelated to the surgery.

(c) Special rules for payment of care plan oversight provided by nonphysician practitioners for beneficiaries who receive HHA services covered by Medicare.

(1) An NPP can furnish physician care plan oversight (but may not certify a patient as needing home health services) only if the physician who signs the plan of care provides regular ongoing care under the same plan of care as does the NPP billing for care plan oversight and either—

(i) The physician and NPP are part of the same group practice; or

(ii) If the NPP is a nurse practitioner or clinical nurse specialist, the physician signing the plan of care also has a collaborative agreement with the NPP; or

(iii) If the NPP is a physician assistant, the physician signing the plan of care is also the physician who provides general supervision of physician assistant services for the practice.

(2) Payment may be made for care plan oversight services furnished by an NPP when:

(i) The NPP providing the care plan oversight has seen and examined the patient;

(ii) The NPP providing care plan oversight is not functioning as a consultant whose participation is limited to a single medical condition rather than multi-disciplinary coordination of care; and

(iii) The NPP providing care plan oversight integrates his or her care with that of the physician who signed the plan of care.

[59 FR 63463, Dec. 8, 1994; 60 FR 49, Jan. 3, 1995; 60 FR 36733, July 18, 1995, as amended at 69 FR 66423, Nov. 15, 2004; 70 FR 16722, Apr. 1, 2005]