Coverage through the MO HealthNet Program is available for a minimum of 48 hours of inpatient care following a vaginal delivery and a minimum of 96 hours of inpatient care following a cesarean section for a mother and newly born child. A shorter length of hospital stay for services related to maternity and newborn care may be approved if the shorter stay meets with the approval of the attending physician after consulting with the mother. In which case, post-discharge care is required.
MO HealthNet reimburses up to two post-discharge skilled nurse visits in the home within two weeks of an early inpatient discharge for a stay of less than 48 hours for a vaginal delivery and for a stay of less than 96 hours for a cesarean section delivery when provided by a home health agency.
Visits must be physician ordered and included in a plan of care. The criteria for an early inpatient discharge and the post-discharge visits must be met.
The first post-discharge visit shall be provided within 48 hours of an inpatient discharge unless otherwise ordered by a physician and the second post-discharge visit, if appropriate (e.g., breast feeding not well established) shall be provided within two weeks of an inpatient discharge. These services are exempt from the home-bound requirement. The post discharge visit(s) covers both the mother and newborn.
The home health agency shall make a report to the attending physician within 24 hours of the post-discharge visit.
The post-discharge visit(s) must be billed using the mother’s Departmental Client Number (DCN).