October 7, 2009
Power Mobility Devices – Indicating Receipt Date of Documentation
- The Power Mobility Devices local coverage determination and policy article stipulate that suppliers must receive clinical documentation and the 7-element order within 45 days of completion of the face-to-face evaluation. According to the LCD, “A date stamp or equivalent must be used to document receipt date.”
- In a recent review of PMD claims two problems were identified. First, suppliers are not consistently applying a date stamp or equivalent to the documents received from the treating physician. Documentation of the receipt date is a key requirement of this policy to demonstrate compliance with the statutory timeliness requirement.
- Second, suppliers often rely on a facsimile header that includes a date and time indicator as an alternative to a date stamp. However, there are often multiple facsimile header lines that are the result of documents being faxed back and forth between the supplier and treating physician. Consequently, it is often difficult to determine the actual date of receipt of the documents by the supplier.
- Suppliers should review their process for documenting the date of receipt of the documentation related to PMDs and ensure that all documents clearly indicate the date that the documents were received. Suppliers who rely on fax header information should be especially vigilant to make sure that the receipt date is clearly indicated to avoid claim denials.
For more information, please refer to the Power Mobility Devices LCD on the DME MAC Jurisdiction C Local Coverage Determinations page.