The Hill News

This is a sad day for millions of homebound and chronically ill older Americans and their loved ones.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has put into force regulations that originally were slated to take effect on Jan. 1, 2011. The new regulations require not only that physicians continue to certify the need for home health care and thus qualify patients for Medicare, but mandate that this can happen only after the physician visits and has a face-to-face encounter with potential patients. These regulations were delayed due to serious concerns about physicians' readiness to comply and the impact that the requirement will have on severely ill patients.

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