Home Health SOC Orders

[jenelaine17]

Hello. I was previously told by a supervisor that it was okay to accept home health SOC or ROC or other orders signed by a nurse... the 485 and the orders we send should all be signed by a qualified physician but the orders we receive could be signed by a nurse. Now, I am questioning this and unable to find a good resource to find out for sure. Can anyone please help to clarify this for me? (Any home health or Medicare resources would be appreciated too.) Thank you in advance!

[Archerlpvn, LPN, LVN]

A start of care can only be signed by physician. The nurse receiving and generating the order who is performing the SOC signs it as well. But a doctors nurse cannot "sign" it on behalf of the doctor with nurse credentials. What the doctors nurse can do, is give you a verbal order for the start of care which you would document. Once you write the SOC order you would send to physician for their signature. Hope this helps