Home health recertification keeps the episode alive. Miss the window or submit with gaps and you lose revenue or trigger ADRs. Senior management should own the recert workflow and a quick QA step before submission.
When recert is due
Medicare: recertification is required before the end of the current certification period,typically by day 60 of the episode, with the recert visit and physician approval in the chart. States and other payers may differ. Know your window and build a reminder (e.g. day 50) so you never run up against the deadline.
What must be in the chart
Recert visit completed; OASIS recert assessment done and locked (run OASIS QA before lock); physician order for continued care; POC updated and signed; any face-to-face or other payer-specific requirements. If one piece is missing, the recert is at risk. A pre-submission checklist (recert visit, OASIS, order, POC, dates) prevents last-minute scrambles and denials.
Common recert denials and QA
Late recert; missing or unsigned order; OASIS or POC not updated; diagnosis or discipline mismatch. Run a short QA before you submit: all pieces present, dates in window, consistency across documents. We have a Recert Workflow + QA Checklist you can download: due-date tracker, chart checklist, and common denial fixes. Use the button below to get it.