Outpatient Therapy Documentation Requirements

It is expected that patient's medical records reflect the need for care/services provided. The listing of records is not all inclusive. Providers must ensure all necessary records are submitted to support services rendered. They may include:

Check
Brief Description
Beneficiary identification, date of service, and provider of the service should be clearly identified on each page of the submitted documentation
Date the beneficiary started therapy
Physical Therapy (PT)/Occupational Therapy (OT)/Speech Language Pathology (SLP) - Initial evaluation/re-evaluation, plans of care, progress reports, treatment encounter notes, therapy minute logs, and discharge summary
Initial evaluation/re-evaluation signed by ordering physician or practitioner
Signed and dated overall plan of care including, short and long term goals with any updates to the plan of care
Physician/Non-Physician Practitioner (NPP) certification of Plan of Care for Claim Period Including Justification when the Certification is Delayed More than 30 Days
Proof of attempts if the required physician certification statement could not be obtained
Treatment plan
Prior Level of Function (PLOF)
Progress reports written by the clinician-services related to progress reports are to be furnished on or before every 10th treatment day
For all therapy services rendered submit attendance/treatment records for the claim period - must include total treatment time and identify each specific skilled modality provided
Documentation to support continued medical need
Documentation supporting the diagnosis code(s) required for the item(s) billed
Documentation to support the code(s) and modifier(s) billed
List of all non-standard abbreviations or acronyms used, including definitions
Any other supporting/pertinent documentation
Signatures are required for medical review for the following purposes: 1) To satisfy specific signature requirements in statute, regulation, National Coverage Determination (NCD) or Local Coverage Determination (LCD); and 2) To resolve authenticity concerns related to legitimacy of falsity of the documentation
If an electronic health record is utilized, include your facility's process of how the electronic signature is created. Include an example of how the electronic signature displays once signed by the physician
Advance Beneficiary Notice of Non-Coverage (ABN)/Notice of Medicare Non-Coverage (NOMNC)

Multiple CMS contractors are charged with completing reviews of medical records. See Identifying Which Entity Completed a Part B Claim Review for detailed information about each of these contractors.

Documentation Submission

Once a provider compiles all the necessary documentation, it is important to submit them to the appropriate contractor according to the request received. Select the request below to view the appropriate submission instructions.

View the Outpatient Therapy webpage for more information and resources.

Last Updated Feb 26 , 2025

Documentation Requirements Disclaimer

The documentation requirements contents/references provided within this section were prepared as educational tools and are not intended to grant rights or impose obligations. Use of these documents are not intended to take the place of either written law or regulations.

The listing of records is not all inclusive. Providers must ensure all necessary records are submitted to support services rendered.

Important that physician intent, physician decision and physician recommendation to provide services derived clearly from the medical record and properly authenticated.

The submission of these records shall not guarantee payment as all applicable coverage requirements must be met.