[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 42, Volume 2]
[Revised as of October 1, 2006]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 42CFR409.46]

[Page 307-308]
 
                         TITLE 42--PUBLIC HEALTH
 
                    CHAPTER IV--CENTERS FOR MEDICARE
                          & MEDICAID SERVICES,
                        DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
                             HUMAN SERVICES
 
PART 409_HOSPITAL INSURANCE BENEFITS--Table of Contents
 
         Subpart E_Home Health Services Under Hospital Insurance
 
Sec.  409.46  Allowable administrative costs.

    Services that are allowable as administrative costs but are not 
separately billable include, but are not limited to, the following:
    (a) Registered nurse initial evaluation visits. Initial evaluation 
visits by a registered nurse for the purpose of assessing a 
beneficiary's health needs, determining if the agency can meet those 
health needs, and formulating a plan of care for the beneficiary are 
allowable administrative costs. If a physician specifically orders that 
a particular skilled service be furnished during the evaluation in which 
the agency accepts the beneficiary for treatment and all other coverage 
criteria are met, the visit is billable as a skilled nursing

[[Page 308]]

visit. Otherwise it is considered to be an administrative cost.
    (b) Visits by registered nurses or qualified professionals for the 
supervision of home health aides. Visits by registered nurses or 
qualified professionals for the purpose of supervising home health aides 
as required at Sec.  484.36(d) of this chapter are allowable 
administrative costs. Only if the registered nurse or qualified 
professional visits the beneficiary for the purpose of furnishing care 
that meets the coverage criteria at Sec.  409.44, and the supervisory 
visit occurs simultaneously with the provision of covered care, is the 
visit billable as a skilled nursing or therapist's visit.
    (c) Respiratory care services. If a respiratory therapist is used to 
furnish overall training or consultative advice to an HHA's staff and 
incidentally provides respiratory therapy services to beneficiaries in 
their homes, the costs of the respiratory therapist's services are 
allowable as administrative costs. Visits by a respiratory therapist to 
a beneficiary's home are not separately billable. However, respiratory 
therapy services that are furnished as part of a plan of care by a 
skilled nurse or physical therapist and that constitute skilled care may 
be separately billed as skilled visits.
    (d) Dietary and nutrition personnel. If dieticians or nutritionists 
are used to provide overall training or consultative advice to HHA staff 
and incidentally provide dietetic or nutritional services to 
beneficiaries in their homes, the costs of these professional services 
are allowable as administrative costs. Visits by a dietician or 
nutritionist to a beneficiary's home are not separately billable.

[59 FR 65496, Dec. 20, 1994]