The Advance Beneficiary Notice (ABN) Form has been updated with an expiration date in 2026 and will be mandatory for use beginning June 30, 2023. It is very important that effective June 30, providers are utilizing the new form, as failure to do so can cause issues with survey preparedness. The ABN is issued by both home health and hospice providers when it has been determined that services required for a patient’s care will not be paid for by the Medicare program. Providers should ensure they are using the most up-to-date version of the ABN form to avoid any potential issues.
In hospice situations, a patient may have opted for hospice care, but if it is determined that they are not facing a terminal illness, Medicare would not cover the expenses for those services.
For a home health agency, a patient may need home health services but might not fulfill certain criteria like being homebound or meeting the technical medical necessity under the Home Health Medicare benefit. The ABN has been implemented for years and is regularly updated. The latest update will be effective from June 30, 2023, and the form will expire in January 2026.
To access the new form, plus instructions for completing that form, click here. Ensure that your staff is informed and that the updated forms are distributed across your organization.
Certain agencies utilize pre-loaded ABNs within their EMR systems. It is essential to verify that these forms are up-to-date and incorporated into your processes and systems, ensuring that patients receive the appropriate documents.
Should you ever need assistance from HPS, please feel free to get in touch.
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