Cigna Government Services & Speech Therapy Services

On February 26, 2016, Cigna Government Services (CGS) published an article discussing required documentation for speech therapy services in the skilled nursing facility. When billing for speech therapy in the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) setting, the patient’s medical record must contain documentation proving medical necessity for the service.

• Patients who have been transferred to a SNF from a covered hospital stay must be treated in the SNF for conditions that were treated or arose during their qualifying hospital stay.
• If there is no indication that the patient received speech therapy during their hospitalization, speech therapy should not be billed by the SNF.
• If however, the patient’s condition changes while they are in the SNF, and the need for speech therapy can be documented as medically necessary, then and only then should the SNF bill for speech therapy.

Click HERE to read the article on the CGS website.