The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) requires that DME suppliers maintain proof that any item dispensed was received by the beneficiary in the form of a Proof of Delivery document. It may be requested by DMEMACs, recovery auditors, supplemental medical review contractors, or Comprehensive Error Rate Testing (CERT) medical review contractors. In last month’s blog, we covered who can sign the Proof of Delivery document.

Methods of Delivery

There are three different methods by which a DME item may be delivered. These include direct delivery by the supplier, delivery of the item to the patient via shipping or delivery service, and delivery to a nursing facility. Beyond the requirements covered last month, there are additional documentation requirements for the Proof of Delivery documents, and they differ based on the method of delivery.

Direct Delivery

The first method of delivery involves the supplier directly delivering the DME item to the patient of the patient’s designee. When delivered in this manner, the Proof of Delivery must contain:

  • Patient name
  • Address where time was delivered (If dispensed from the office, this will be your office address.)
  • Description of the item in the form of a narrative, a HCPCS code, the HCPCS code descriptor, the brand name of the item, or the item’s model number.
  • Quantity delivered
  • Patient or designee signature. The details and requirements of these signatures were covered last month.
  • Date delivered. The date that the patient of designee received the item should be the date on the Proof of Delivery document as well as the date on the claim form.

To Be Continued...

Next month, in Part 3, we will cover the documentation requirements when the item is delivered via shipping or delivery service.

References

DISCLAIMER: The information provided here is intended to educate health care providers regarding compliance for ICD, CPT, and HCPCS coding. The information provided does not guarantee reimbursement and is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of this publication. Coding guidelines can change and we encourage you to stay up to date. The existence of a code does not guarantee payment.