CMS on Aug. 12 posted what it hopes will be a final version for the proposed electronic clinical template it created for doctors to use when documenting face-to-face encounters. 
 
The four-page version of the electronic clinical template provides blanks for physicians to detail why skilled services are necessary and specify what makes the patient homebound. The voluntary form also allows doctors to describe the patient’s chief complaint, fill out a history of present illness, review the patient’s systems and explain what skilled services are required.
 
The list of clinical elements within the template lets electronic health record vendors “create prompts to assist physicians” when documenting face-to-face encounters, CMS says. “Once completed by the physician, the resulting progress note or clinic note would be part of the medical record.”
 
Providing information on the electronic form will take doctors 10 minutes per patient, while the paper form will take 15 minutes, CMS estimates.
 
CMS must obtain Office of Management and Budget approval for the collection of necessary data. CMS posted a notice in the Federal Register about this Aug. 12.
 
Comments on the template are due by Oct. 13. To comment, visit http://www.regulations.gov and follow the instructions under the “More Search Options” tab.