As a general Medicare rule, the date of service shall be the date of delivery. Exceptions are made for suppliers who use a delivery/shipping service. If the supplier uses a delivery/shipping service, the supplier may use the shipping date as the date of service on the claim. The shipping date may be defined as the date the delivery/shipping service label is created or the date the item is retrieved for delivery; however, such dates should not demonstrate significant variation.
Suppliers, their employees, or anyone else having a financial interest in the delivery of the item are prohibited from signing and accepting an item on behalf of a beneficiary (i.e., acting as a designee on behalf of the beneficiary). The signature of the designee should be legible. If the signature of the designee is not legible, the supplier/shipping service should note the name of the designee on the delivery slip.
Three methods of delivery are:
- Supplier delivering directly to the beneficiary or designee;
- Supplier utilizing a delivery/shipping service to deliver items; and
- Delivery of items to a nursing facility on behalf of the beneficiary.
The date of delivery may be entered by the beneficiary, designee or the supplier.
FedEx Statement:
Signature suspension notification
To help promote the safety of our employees and customers, FedEx signature guidelines are being temporarily adjusted for all shipments, with the exception of adult signature required (ASR) shipments. In efforts to minimize physical interactions, customers may be asked to verify recipient name in lieu of a physical signature. FedEx is still collecting recipient information; therefore, surcharges for these services will continue to be assessed. For shipments with the adult signature service option selected, couriers will still request a physical signature and require a government-issued photo ID.
UPS Statement:
How are items requiring a signature handled with social distancing regulations in place?
To reduce health risks, we are temporarily modifying customer signature capture procedures.
- While maintaining a safe, appropriate distance, employees will request the customer’s first initial and last name so that the employee can enter the information on the electronic screen or hard copy items such as return receipts, PS Forms 3811 and 3829.
- For increased safety, employees will ask the customer to step back a safe distance or close the screen door/door so that they may leave the item in the mail receptacle or appropriate location by the customer door.
