Certification on MD Documentation Requirements

The March update to this Joint DME MAC Correct Coding and Billing article has caused some misunderstanding within the field. Under “Documentation Requirements,” the article states that to support Medicare coverage, the medical record must include:

“Diagnosis of lymphedema documented by the treating practitioner (MD, DO, NP, PA, CNS) in the beneficiary’s medical record.”

Some misinterpreted this to mean the MD must complete all of the documentation requirements, which is not the case. While the MD must document the diagnosis of lymphedema, additional medical necessity may be captured by other sources, per the Standard Documentation Requirements article.