A registered nurse recently changed jobs and is now working in home health. She understood that the reason for accurate documentation in the acute care setting where she had previously worked was to provide an accurate record for safe patient care

Question

Working in home health, she now has learned that in addition to providing an accurate record for safe patient care, this documentation is also used by Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance companies for which of the following? A. Justification for prescribed medications
B. Data for nursing research
C. Justification for home care reimbursement
D. Data to support social security benefits for the disabled

Answer 1

C
Medicare has specific guidelines for establishing eligibility for home care reimbursement. When nurses provide home care, documentation must specifically address the category of care and the patients' responses to care. Documentation in the home care system has different implications than in other areas of nursing. The documentation is both the quality control and the justification for reimbursement from Medicare, Medicaid, or private insurance companies.