CMS Pub. 100-02, ch. 7, § 30.2.3

The orders on the plan of care must indicate the type of services to be provided to the

patient, both with respect to the professional who will provide them and the nature of the

individual services, as well as the frequency of the services.

EXAMPLE 1:

SN x 7/wk x 1 wk; 3/wk x 4 wk; 2/wk x 3 wk, (skilled nursing visits 7 times per week for

1 week; 3 times per week for 4 weeks; and 2 times per week for 3 weeks) for skilled

observation and evaluation of the surgical site, for teaching sterile dressing changes and

to perform sterile dressing changes. The sterile change consists of (detail of procedure).

Orders for care may indicate a specific range in the frequency of visits to ensure that the

most appropriate level of services is provided to home health patients under a home

health plan of care. When a range of visits is ordered, the upper limit of the range is

considered the specific frequency.

EXAMPLE 2:

SN x 2-4/wk x 4 wk; 1-2/wk x 4 wk for skilled observation and evaluation of the surgical

site.

Orders for services to be furnished "as needed" or "PRN" must be accompanied by a

description of the patient's medical signs and symptoms that would occasion a visit and a

specific limit on the number of those visits to be made under the order before an

additional physician or allowed practitioner order would have to be obtained.