Knowledgebase

Holiday Office Closures

farrah@barnestorm.com — Sat, 13 Jun 2026 05:12:43 GMT

Juneteenth Day Closure

Office Closed: Friday, June 19, 2026

Live support will be unavailable on Friday 6/19/2026 in observance of Juneteenth. Tickets and the knowledgebase remain available 24/7.

How to Reach Us While We’re Closed

You can still submit support requests while our office is closed.

Use the Help page inside Barnestorm
Or click below to email us and create a ticket

customersupport@barnestorm.com

For faster assistance, include date of service, chart #, employee name, and any error text.

Our Yearly Holiday Schedule

Standard planned office closures each year

• 2 business days the week of New Year’s Day
• MLK Day
• Good Friday
• Easter Monday
• Memorial Day
• Juneteenth

• 2 business days the week of Independence Day
• Labor Day
• Election Day (Presidential year)
• Veterans Day
• Thanksgiving (Thu & Fri)
• 2 business days the week of Christmas

EVV - Editing Visits and Deviations

farrah@barnestorm.com — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 06:30:00 GMT

EVV Visit Corrections & Deviations

How to correct visit times, fix verified EVV visits, and record deviations for reporting.

Important Notes

Do not change visit times *just* to match authorizations.
Per NC DHHS, record the actual time worked -- even if over or under authorization.
Adjust future visits in the Aide Schedule instead of editing past visits for authorization purposes.

Use these steps when:

You need to correct a clock out time due to a mistake (marks as adjusted).
Incomplete tasks need marked (telephony).
Incorrect job code was used.

⚠ Note: Check to see if the aide plan needs adjusted, as well.

Correcting Overage Time on Visits

📽️ Fix EVV Visit to Correct Visit Time

When an aide stays longer than authorized, handle it the same way you normally would per NC DHHS:

If overage was legitimate (accident, extra care needed) → Adjust the service plan. Shorten future visits on the Aide Schedule. Do not use the correction process below.
If overage was an error → Follow the steps below.

Steps to Edit EVV Visit

Go to the EVV Visits and select the visit to edit.
If visit is Charged, click the 🔓 Unlock icon.
Click Edit.
Make necessary changes (codes, payer, job code, visit type, tasks etc.).

To fix times:
- Check Adjust Times → update Adjusted Start and Adjusted End.

Set Reason for change (e.g., “Caregiver forgot to clock out”).
Click Update Visit. For Sandata payers, the visit will be re‑verified.
You may need to run Employee Activity > Import Visit Charges if it was imported previously.

Optional Edits:

Tasks: Click Reload Tasks, uncheck incomplete ones, add a reason.
Check All to mark all tasks completed.
If job code, visit type, or payer are wrong, verify the Aide Plan.

Recording Visit Deviations

For any visit with a deviation—such as aide left early, no substitute available, etc.—record details in the Comments field of the visit.

If the visit is cancelled → Change Visit Type to a cancellation reason AND set the End Time to match the Start Time.
Deviations will appear on the EVV Compliance Report Pre‑Billing Audit in Reports.

📩 Need help? Contact Barnestorm Support

EVV / CareChamp - Employee Forgets to Clock Out

farrah@barnestorm.com — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 08:46:38 GMT

Complete Visits When Aide Forgot to Clock Out

How to handle visits that remain "In Progress" in Care Champ or Barnestorm Office when an aide forgets to clock out.

📽️ Complete Visits – Aide Forgot to Clock Out

Manual Visit Completion

Use this process if the visit is not clocked out and still shows “In Progress.”

See the Best Practice section later in this article for App Visits.

IMPORTANT

The Finish button may not be active until 2 days after the scheduled date.
The delay will give the visit time to sync to the office.
Each agency can set their own number of days enable the Finish button.

Steps:

In Barnestorm Office, go to EVV Visits.
Select the visit showing In Progress.
Click Finish to mark the visit as complete.
If needed, click Edit to adjust visit times or complete any missing tasks.
Verify accuracy and Update Visit.

Best Practice for Care Champ

Visits will auto-complete if the next visit occurs within 1 - 4 days of the previous in-progress visit.
When auto-completion happens, the aide will see a pop-up confirming the previous visit was marked complete.
The message disappears automatically — no action required from the aide.

If Visit Shows Completed in the App but Not in Office

Have the aide open the visit in Care Champ and tap Resend.
This will send the visit to Barnestorm Office and display it on the EVV Visits screen.
Sync may take up to 1 hour during office hours or until the next day if after hours.
Low cellular signal can delay syncing.

📩 Need help? Contact Barnestorm Support

HH EVV - Starting and Ending Visits in POC

linda@barnestorm.com — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 05:25:17 GMT

USE POC TO START & FINISH VISITS

1. Verify Location Services in POC

After logging into POC, check the indicator light under the Exit tab on the Main Menu.
- 🟢 Green = Location services are enabled.
- 🔴 Red = Location services are not fully enabled but may turn green within a minute.

2. Start the Visit in POC

Open POC and start the visit from the schedule.
Tap "Start" at the exact time you are at the patient's home.
If needed, you can tap "Start" while in your car outside the home—CMS allows starting within sight of the home.
GPS tracking is only recorded for visits where the payer requires EVV.

3. Complete the Visit & Documentation

Provide care as usual.
Document your visit note. If you can’t finish documentation immediately, you can complete it later.

4. Set End Time Before Leaving

Before leaving, go to Finish in the assessment and tap Set End Time.
This should be the last thing you do before leaving the home.
CMS allows ending the visit within sight of the home (e.g., in your car).

5. Editing or Completing Notes Later

You can edit or add to your visit notes at any time.

Common Situations & Solutions

WHAT IF I NEED TO LEAVE THE PATIENT HOME EARLY?

Before you leave the patient home, make sure to go to Finish in the assessment and tap the Set End Time Button. This should be the very last thing you do before you leave the patient home, even if you’re leaving early.

DON’T SEE THE PATIENT ON YOUR SCHEDULE FOR TODAY

Follow your agency policy: if you agency allows you to start a visit without using the schedule, do so.

All the other instructions are the same.

NO/SPOTTY CONNECTION AT PATIENT HOME

No connection is required for this to work: no wifi, no cellular, no internet.

WHAT IF I’M SUBSTITUTING?

Start the visit according your agency policy (from the schedule or as a new visit).

All other instructions are the same.

WHAT IS THE BACKUP METHOD FOR EVV?

Telephony, using the patient’s phone. The patient phone number must be documented in Barnestorm (Referral) for this to pick up scheduled visits for the patient.

1. When you arrive at the patient home, use the patient’s phone to call your agency's toll-free telephony number as soon as you arrive.

2. Complete your visit.

3. From the patient’s phone, call your agency's toll-free telephony number right before you leave.

IMPORTANT: IF YOU HAVE ANY ISSUES, TRY THE STEPS ABOVE FIRST. IF YOU STILL HAVE TROUBLE, CONTACT YOUR OFFICE IMMEDIATELY AND LET THEM KNOW YOUR PATIENT, START TIME, AND END TIME.

EVV - Adding New Employees to Barnestorm

linda@barnestorm.com — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 05:22:52 GMT

Video: Add Employees to BarnestormSystem - YouTube

Adding New Employees in Barnestorm - instructions for EVV related employees.

You can add new employees either while entering referral/patient information or by navigating to Codes > Other Basic Codes > Employees. On the Employees tab of the Referral, you can click on New Employee to start the process.

Add a New Employee: Click on the Add A New Employee button and select a code from the list.
Enter Required Information: Fill in the minimum required employee information and click Save.

Required Fields:

Correct spelling of the employee’s name
Cell phone number (10-digits with area code)
Program
Job Code (select the job code typically used for the employee)
Rev Code (nurse = 0550, aide must be 0570 or 0599 for EVV compatibility)
Social Security Number, options are:
- The full 9-digit number without dashes.
- Last 5-digits of SSN with zeros leading: Format example: 000012345.
Gender (may be required by some MCOs)
Date Hired

Other fields are optional, but it’s recommended to track the hire date as well. The primary email address can be left blank to auto-generate an email. You can enter a personal or business email in the second email field.

Common Sandata Rejection Issues & Fixes

⚠️ Employee Name – Only include the name; allowed characters: A-Z, apostrophes, periods, hyphens, and spaces.
⚠️ Cell Phone Number – Always include the 10-digit number with area code.
⚠️ Rev Code – Ensure the correct code is selected (see required fields above).

ADDING AIDES TO THE CARE CHAMP APP

EVV - Adding User to Care Champ App (App User, Care Champ, Care Champ Settings, EVV User, Location Lockdown, Sync Schedules) (barnestorm.biz)

Point-of-Care Users (not for CAP/PCS EVV Users): To stay EVV compliant, set the app status to POC. This will use the device's location services to record GPS coordinates for start and end times. Ensure the device’s location service is enabled for this feature to work. The user also must have a valid cell phone number in order to activate the POC app.

Barnestorm Reports Guide - Font Size, Excel & More

farrah@barnestorm.com — Thu, 21 May 2026 04:52:29 GMT

Barnestorm Reports Guide

Use this guide to search for reports, customize report layouts, export reports to Excel, and adjust report font sizes in Barnestorm Office.

Tip: Select the ▶ collapse icon throughout this article to expand additional instructions and details for each section.

Accessing Reports

From the Barnestorm Main Menu, select Reports.
Select a category from the left side menu.
Use the Find A Report section to search by:
- Report name
- Report number
- Keyword related to the report
Select the report title to open it.
Choose your report settings and run the report.

Note: If you do not have access to a category, ask your supervisory to edit your employee security to include missing sections.

Using My Reports

The My Reports section keeps track of your recently used and favorite reports for quick access.

To add a report, right-click the report name and select Add To My Reports.
To remove a report, right-click the report inside My Reports and select Remove.

Exporting Reports to Excel

There are two ways to export reports to Excel.

Option 1 — Export Before Running the Report

Select the Export to Excel option before running the report.
Run the report.
After closing the Barnestorm preview window, the report will automatically generate and save to:

C:\Barnestorm\Office

Option 2 — Export After Running the Report

Run the report normally.
Select the Export icon.
A popup window will appear asking if you would like to save and open the report.

Note: If the report does not generate correctly, the computer may not have the appropriate file types enabled to create Excel files such as .xlsx or .xls.

Customizing Reports

Many reports can be customized before running the report.

Sorting Data

Click a column header to sort the report data.

First click = Ascending order
Second click = Descending order

Grouping Information

Grouping allows similar information to appear together on the report, such as grouping by Program, Employee, or Payer.

Filtering Results

Check Allow Filtering.
Select the filter icon on the column you want to filter.
Choose a value or create a custom filter.

Multiple filters can be applied to narrow down report results.

Choosing Columns

Use Choose Columns to:

Add additional columns to the report
Remove columns you do not need
Customize the report display

Resizing Columns

Hover your mouse between column headers until the resize icon appears. Click and drag to resize the column width.

Saving Custom Layouts

Select Save New Layout.
Enter a report category, name, and description.
Select Save Report.

Your custom report layout will automatically load the next time it is selected.

Increasing Font Size on Reports

There are two different report types in the Reports screen, and each type has a different method for increasing font size.

Reports That Start With a Menu Number

Example: 02.06 Visit Reference List

Select the report.
Check the Landscape option.
Run the report.

This slightly increases the font size and improves report readability.

Reports Without a Menu Number

Select the Admin tab from the left menu.
Select Create Reports.
Choose the report from the dropdown list.
Select Next until the final screen appears.
Change the font size to 9.
Select Save Report.
Run the report again from the Reports screen.

If additional size increases are needed, repeat the steps and try a font size of 10.

Note: Running Download New Reports may reset the report font size back to the default setting.

Download New Reports

Use the Download New Reports option regularly to receive newly created reports and report updates.

We recommend downloading new reports weekly to ensure your report list stays up to date.

Chart Audit for End of Episode Claims

linda@barnestorm.com — Tue, 19 May 2026 08:38:14 GMT

Chart Audit for End of Episode Claims (EOEs)

This chart audit helps track PPS episodes that have been audited and are ready for billing. It verifies that visits match the ordered frequencies. Use the Billing > PPS Billing > End of Episode Claims and the Billing > PPS Billing > Edit PPS Episodes screens for this feature. (see below)

Troubleshooting Guide

What Each Screen Does

End of Episode Claims Screen: Prints the selected episode audits
Edit PPS Episodes Screen: Marks episodes as approved and ready for billing

Steps to Generate the Chart Audit Sheet(s)

Go to Billing > PPS Billing > End of Episode Claims.
Select Episodes: Use the right-bottom panel to choose episode(s) for the audit.
Program and Payer: Enter the specific program and payer or leave blank to select all.
Episodes Thru Date: Specify the date range for the episode(s).
Select Episodes for Audit: Click this button to generate a list of patients matching your criteria. A list will appear in the first column. To remove any unwanted patients, click their name to exclude from the list.
Print Chart Audits: Click this button to generate a chart audit sheet for each patient. Audits may span multiple pages depending on the episode length and data volume.

Report Options

First Day of Audit Week: Set the start day for the calendar view.
Print Calendars: Check to print a calendar view of each patient's episode with discipline abbreviations on visit dates. Leave unchecked to skip this.
Mark Audit Printed: Check to mark the episode as printed in the Edit PPS Episode screen, updating the print date. Each print date replaces a previous date.
Skip If Audit Previously Printed: Check to exclude previously printed audits, avoiding duplicates.

The audit sheet(s) will include the following:

Orders: Discipline frequencies from Box 21 of the 485 and verbal orders. Ensure frequencies are in the correct format.
Visits: Lists chargeable and non-chargeable visits by job code and date. Non-charge visits show an amount of $0.
Calendar: If enabled, prints a calendar format with discipline abbreviations on visit dates. Non-charge visits follow a forward slash.
Week-by-Week View: Shows the number of chargeable visits by each discipline per week, helping verify frequencies.
Supplies: Lists Box 14 supplies and DME orders from the 485, plus any itemized supplies entered in Barnestorm.

Completing and Approving the Audit

After completing the audit and documentation:

Mark as Approved: Go to Billing > PPS Billing > Edit PPS Episode: Select the patient and episode. Type in the employee code or name of the auditing employee. Click Mark as Audit Approved and Release for Billing button. This updates the audit approval date.
Filter Claims: Use the Audit Must Be Complete option on the End of Episode Claims screen to select Only the episodes that have been approved for billing through the audit process.

Printing Status Reports

Print a report showing each episode's status from Billing > PPS Episode > End of Episode. Enter the program and payer or leave blank for all. Specify the Episodes Thru Date and click Print Audit Status Report. You can print in landscape or export to Excel. This report includes:

Episode information
Audit print date and age
Audit approval date and age

Billing > PPS Episode > End of Episode

Billing > PPS Billing > Edit PPS Episodes

📅 Last updated: 05/19/2026
📩 Need help? Contact Barnestorm Support

My Signature Does Not Appear On My Assessment

linda@barnestorm.com — Wed, 13 May 2026 02:02:47 GMT

My Signature Does Not Appear On My Assessment

Verify those assessments are in locked status. Signatures will only appear on "locked" assessments.
Verify your signature has been properly saved in the system.

In Barnestorm Ofice: Go to Codes > Security > Employee Signatures. If your signature is not there, enter it and Save.

In Barnestorm POC: Go to My Signature tab. If your signature is not there, enter it and Save. Complete a Sync.

"My signature is already there" - Try re-entering your signature in the rectangular box and hit Save. If using POC, don't forget to Sync to update the main system.

Important: If these tips do not resolve your issue, please start a chat, or submit an email to Barnestorm Support: customersupport@barnestorm.com.

How to Print NOE 81A / 81B

farrah@barnestorm.com — Tue, 12 May 2026 11:08:40 GMT

Create and Print Hospice NOE 81A / 81B

Overview

Barnestorm can create electronic hospice Notice of Election claims including:

81A — Notice of Election (NOE)
81B — Notice of Termination/Revocation (NOTR)

Hospice NOE claims can be transmitted electronically. When the file is created, the claim file name will use either:

_A.837 for 81A claims
_B.837 for 81B claims

Important: If you are approaching the Medicare timely filing limit for the NOE or NOTR, monitor the electronic submission carefully. Medicare will return a 999 and 277CA indicating whether the file was accepted or rejected.

Requirements

The patient must be active or admitted within the past 365 days.
The patient’s primary payer must be configured as a Hospice payer with per diem billing.
81B claims are only available for discharged patients.

Create the Electronic 81A or 81B

Barnestorm Office > Billing > Other > Print 81A / 81B

Select either 81A or 81B.
Search for the patient by name or enter the six-digit chart number.
Select the patient and appropriate hospice payer.
Review the claim history panel on the right side of the screen.
- If previous claims exist, they will display in the list.
- If no claims exist, the screen will display: No claims created yet.
Click Create Electronic Claim.
A confirmation message will display showing the file name and save location.
Click OK.

Print the Claim

Click Print Electronic Claim.
Select Print All Claims in This Batch.

Transmit the File

Send the electronic NOE file using the same process normally used to transmit Medicare billing claim files.

Determining Hospice 485 Certfication Dates

farrah@barnestorm.com — Tue, 12 May 2026 06:33:49 GMT

Determining Hospice 485 Certification Dates

Overview

Staff verifying Medicare enrollment should determine the patient’s current hospice benefit period before creating the hospice 485 certification period in Barnestorm.

Previous hospice election and certification periods can typically be reviewed through Medicare DDE or payer eligibility systems.

Hospice Benefit Periods

First and second hospice benefit period = 90 days each
All remaining benefit periods = 60 days

Finding Existing Hospice Benefit Periods

Existing hospice benefit periods and prior certifications may be reviewed using:

Medicare DDE
Payer eligibility systems
Transfer documentation from the prior hospice agency
Existing Barnestorm patient records

The Medicare DDE system has a screen that records this information. Barnestorm takes the 485 from/thru dates as entered and assumes that the agency has done their homework to determine which benefit period is current. The hospice benefit period is recorded in Barnestorm under the Referrals > Payers > Hospice Tracking.

Report 19.08 pulls a detailed list of patients and benefit periods, or a summery that provides counts of the same.

Standard Hospice 485 Certification Dates

If the patient is starting a new hospice certification period, the 485 certification dates should match the applicable hospice benefit period dates.

The certification period should be determined based on:

Previous hospice election periods
Prior certification dates
Current hospice benefit period

Hospice Transfers Between Agencies

When a patient transfers from another hospice agency during an active hospice certification period, the certification dates do not restart.

Important: A hospice certification period split across two providers must maintain the same certification end date.

If the transferring agency has an active hospice 485:

Your certification start date is the patient’s admission date to your agency.
Your certification end date remains the same as the transferring agency’s current certification thru date.
Use the Special date option on the Create a New 485 screen to manually enter the certification dates.

If No Active Certification Exists

If the transferring agency does not have an active hospice 485 certification period, create the hospice 485 using the standard certification period dates based on the patient’s current hospice benefit period.

Home Health / Hospice Patient Locations By Date

farrah@barnestorm.com — Tue, 12 May 2026 06:21:54 GMT

Home Health / Hospice Patient Locations By Date

Overview

Use this screen to track patient facility stays, hospice location dates, and billing location requirements for Home Health and Hospice claims

When to Use This Screen

Patient admitted to a nursing facility
Patient transferred to a hospital
Patient receives hospice inpatient care
Patient receives respite care

Patient changes facility locations
Hospice claim requires facility NPI reporting
Hospital stay requires G8 / CBSA reporting

Important: Hospice claims may require different billing information depending on the patient's location and level of care during the billing month.

Facility Setup Requirements

When a hospice patient receives care in a facility that is not the billing hospice location, Medicare claim reporting may require the facility name, address, and NPI.
Codes > Other Basic Codes > Doctors
The facility record should:

Be identified as the Type

Contain the correct NPI

Contain the correct address information (9-digit zip)

Entering Facility Stay Dates

Billing > Other > Enter HH Location / Hospice Facility Stay Dates

Select the patient.
Enter the effective From and Thru dates for the facility stay.
Select the appropriate patient location or facility type.
If applicable, select the facility from the Facility panel.
Save the entry.

For long-term nursing facility residents, agencies commonly enter a thru date several years in the future until the patient location changes.

Note: If the patient receives care in multiple facilities during the billing month, Medicare reporting may use the last facility where the patient received care during the billing period.

Hospital Stays and G8 Value Code Reporting

When a hospice patient is admitted to a hospital, the claim may require reporting of the CBSA code for the county where the hospital is located.

Billing > Other > Enter HH Location / Hospice Facility Stay Dates

Select the patient.
Enter the From and Thru dates of the stay.
Select Inpatient Hospital and the appropriate facility, if needed.
Select the county in which the hospital is located.
Click the Create G8 Value Code for Billing button.
- This will insert the G8 value and CBSA under Referrals > Payers > Selected Payer > Extra Billing Info.

Important: Verify payer-specific hospice facility reporting requirements before billing.

Common Billing Issues

Missing facility NPI
Incorrect patient location dates
Hospital stay not entered
Incorrect G8 setup
Overlapping facility dates
Claim location mismatch

19.01 Verify Hospice Data

linda@barnestorm.com — Tue, 12 May 2026 05:52:54 GMT

19.01 Check for Incomplete Hospice Data

Location: Reports > Hospice> 19.01 Check for Incomplete Hospice Data

Overview

Run this report frequently to locate and fix Hospice data issues in a timely manner.

This report will look for the following:

Duplicated per diem charges
Patients classified as not admitted, but has per diem charges keyed in
Compares the length of stay between the start of care date and the discharge date to the actual number of per diems
Keyed in per diem charges that are before the admit date or after the discharge date

How to Run the Report

From / Thru: Enter the date range for admission.
Program(s): Enter the program number(s) or leave blank for all.

How to Read the Report

Chart#/Patient Name: The patient's name and chart#
Pg/Pyr: Program and payer number
Rev: Revenue code
Admit Dt: Date of admission
Chrg Date: Date that has the conflict
D/C Date: Date of discharge

Hospice Process Overview

farrah@barnestorm.com — Tue, 12 May 2026 05:08:41 GMT

Hospice Billing Overview

Overview

Use this overview as a general guide for hospice billing setup, claim preparation, per diem setup, and routine billing checks in Barnestorm.

Helpful Links

Before Billing

Verify Medicare or private insurance as usual.
For Medicare hospice, confirm all prior hospice election periods.
Hospice benefit periods are 90 days, 90 days, then unlimited 60-day periods.
Face-to-Face is required before the 3rd benefit period and each later recertification period.
For private insurance, verify whether the payer reimburses by per diem or by visit.

Important: Payer rules may vary. Always verify Medicare, Medicaid, managed care, or private insurance requirements before billing.

Hospice Revenue Codes and Per Diem Setup

Barnestorm hospice billing commonly uses hospice revenue codes such as:0651 (Routine Home Care),0652 (Continuous Home Care),0655 (Inpatient Respite Care),0656 (General Inpatient Care),0658 and 0659 (Room and Board).

Hospice per diem setup is commonly configured using matching employee numbers, job codes, visit status codes, and revenue codes.

Hospice per diem rates are maintained from:Codes > Rates > Hospice Per Diem Rates.

See:Hospice Per Diem Billing Guidefor detailed setup instructions.

Admission and Election

The patient signs the Notice of Election on or before the hospice admission date.
For Medicare, NOE must be submitted and accepted within 5 days of admission.
- NOE (81A) can be sent electronically through Barnestorm or keyed into DDE.
Initial certification must be completed timely and supported by the attending physician and hospice medical director, as required.
Complete the plan of care and document hospice orders as part of the admission workflow.
Use the software to complete the first IDG meeting and updates within the required number of days set by payer.

Ongoing Hospice Tracking

Track per diem days, visits, IDG meetings, facility stays, respite days, and discharge status.
Document IDG meetings and plan of care updates according to hospice requirements.
Document facility stays in Barnestorm when the patient is not in a private residence.
Pre-arrange and document hospitalizations for non-hospice diagnoses when applicable.

Facility Stay and Location Reporting

When a hospice patient is not in a private residence, enter the appropriate facility stay dates and location (for Q-code) in Barnestorm.

Use Billing > Other > Enter HH Location / Hospice Facility Stay Dates to document facility stay information.

If the patient resides in a nursing facility long-term, agencies commonly enter an extended thru date to cover the expected stay period.

If the patient is in a hospital, you need to use the CBSA code of the county where the hospital is located on the claim.

Use Referrals > Payers > Extra Billing Info. Use the first day of the month or the admit date if the hospital stay is during the admission month. Enter a Value Code G8 with CBSA code of the county where the hospital is located.

Monthly Billing

Hospice billing is generally completed by calendar month.
Enter hospice per diem charges using Billing > Other > Enter Hospice Per Diem Charges.
All visits except continuous care are entered as no-charge, including social worker phone calls 8 minutes or more.
Most hospice routine visits are entered using visit status codes configured with: Chargeable = No.
Although the visit may display as a no-charge visit within Visit Entry, Medicare hospice claims may still report the visit detail and usual/customary charge information on the electronic claim.
Key medications into Billing > Other > Enter Hospice Per Diem Charges > Hospice Medications.
A single line total for medication charges will show up on the claim but not in Accounts Receivable.

Continuous Home Care (CHC)

Continuous Home Care (CHC) is a higher level of hospice care provided during periods of short-term patient crisis to maintain the patient in the home setting.

CHC is billed using revenue code 0652.
Continuous care hours are based on the total number of care hours provided during a calendar day (midnight to midnight).
A minimum of 8 hours of care is required during the day to qualify as Continuous Home Care.
More than half of the care hours must be provided by a nurse (RN, LPN, or LVN).
Hospice aide services may count toward the total care hours.

Note: Continuous Home Care should only be billed during brief periods of crisis care as defined by Medicare hospice regulations.

Audit Before Claim Creation

Use Billing > Other > Enter Hospice Per Diem Charges > Reports to confirm that each active hospice patient has the correct number of per diem charges for the billing period.

Audit Tip: Review any message showing that the total number of per diem charges does not equal the number of active days before creating the claim.

Creating the Claim

Create the hospice claim from Billing > All Other Billing.
Check the applicable hospice billing options, including Hospice, Visits, and HMB.
For non-Medicare hospice payers, confirm whether visit detail should be reported (HMB).

Claim Amounts and A/R

The generated claim will include per diem charges and no-charge visit detail. Visit lines will show the agency’s usual and customary rate even when the visit was entered as no charge.
The total claim amount is the sum of per diem and visit rates, not what is expected to pay.
The amount that shows up in Barnestorm A/R may not match the claim. A/R will show per diem, continuous care, and medication charges.
- It does NOT include the no-charge visit amount.
Medicare claims are generally processed after acceptance (typical 14 days), but payment timing can vary based on edits, sequential billing, prior-month status, and payer processing.

Discharge, Revocation, or Death

When a patient is discharged, revokes hospice, or dies, complete the required discharge billing steps timely.
If required, submit the Notice of Termination/Revocation or final claim within the required timeframe.
- The NOTR can be sent electronically through Barnestorm or keyed into DDE.
- Sending medications may delay the claim - you may want to send the NOTR as soon as possible.
If the patient died in a facility, enter the correct hospice facility stay information from Billing > Other > Enter Hospice Facility Dates before billing.
Review discharge status and value code requirements before submitting the claim.

Medicare and Medicaid Room and Board

For patients who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid and reside in a long-term care facility, the agency may be responsible for room and board billing arrangements. Contracts and payer setup should be reviewed before billing.

In this situation, Medicare may be billed for hospice routine home care per diems, while Medicaid room and board may be billed separately using the appropriate revenue codes such as 0658 or 0659.

Sequential Billing Requirements

Medicare hospice claims must be billed and processed sequentially in date order. Hospice claims are billed monthly and generally limited to one claim per patient, per month.

The initial hospice claim cannot process until the Notice of Election (NOE) has been accepted by Medicare. After the first claim processes, the next consecutive monthly claim may then process.

Claims submitted out of sequence may suspend or return with status codes until the prior billing period has completed processing. Claims may continue cycling through the Medicare system until earlier claims finalize.

Example: If a March claim has not completed processing, the April claim may suspend or remain pending until the March billing period finalizes.

Hospice Aggregate Cap

Medicare hospice payments are subject to an annual aggregate cap limit. The hospice cap is designed to limit the total Medicare payments a hospice agency receives each cap year.

The cap year runs from October 1 through September 30. Medicare calculates the hospice cap using the annual cap amount multiplied by the agency’s Medicare beneficiary count.

CMS primarily uses a proportional methodology that allocates a portion of a beneficiary’s cap amount based on the percentage of hospice care days provided by the agency during the cap year.

Hospices that exceed their aggregate cap amount may be required to repay Medicare overpayments.

Barnestorm agencies may monitor hospice cap trends using:Reports > Hospice > 19.05 Tracking Hospice Cap.

Create an Adjustment Claim for Hospice Medicare Primary Claim

linda@barnestorm.com — Fri, 08 May 2026 11:39:39 GMT

Create an Adjustment Claim for Hospice Medicare Primary Claim

Main menu: Click Accounts Receivable > ICN Edit.
Type in the patient's name or chart number to select the patient.
Click Add a new ICN Entry in the right panel.
Type in the Payment Date (of the remittance) of the original claim.
Type in the Charges From Date and the Charges Thru Date of the original claim.
ICN Field: Type in the DCN of the claim (located on the remittance advice).
Replacement/Void box: Make sure there's a 7 entered for Replacement.
Click Save.
At the top of the window, click Billing > All Other Billing.
Use the Search by Name or Chart# field to select the patient.
Enter the exact From/Thru billing dates of the original claim.
Click the Send as Replacement Claims box.
Click the Prepare Charges for Billing tab.
Create and transmit claim as usual.

📅 Last updated: 5/08/2026
📩 Need help? Contact Barnestorm Support

Enter Hospice Per Diem Charges

linda@barnestorm.com — Wed, 06 May 2026 05:06:45 GMT

Enter Hospice Per Diem Charges

To enter Hospice Per Diem charges, go to Billing> Other > Enter Hospice Per Diem Charges.
On the Per Diem Charges tab, locate the patient by typing the chart number or last name.
Type your From/Thru date.
Select the Program/Payer.
Select the appropriate Revenue Code.
If there is a Special Rate, click the tab to enter the Charge$. Otherwise, leave the field blank.
Click Save. The charges will appear in the bottom section.

To Print Hospice Per Diem Charges, click the Reports tab (same screen)

Select your month.
Click the Per Diem Charges bullet.
Click Print.

TIP: Utilize report 19.01 Verify Hospice Data to locate any issues/errors related to your Hospice Per Diem entries. This reports looks for the following errors:

Duplicated per diem charges
Patients classified as "not admitted, but has per diem charges
Compares the length of stay between the start of care (SOC) date and the discharge date to the actual number of per diem charges
Per diem charges before the admit date or after the discharge date
Overlapping Hospice facility stays

Additional Tip:

Occurrence Span Code 77 is used to identify noncovered dates. For non-covered dates, follow the normal process to enter per diem charges. Then use the Extra Billing Screen in the Payers tab of the referral to enter that code and date range.

Hospice CAHPS Caregiver Details

linda@barnestorm.com — Wed, 06 May 2026 04:13:19 GMT

This is a feature to collect Hospice caregiver information for CAHPS export. This screen will only appear when a Hospice patient is selected. On the Select Patient screen, select the patient. Then click on the Background/Envnmt tab > Environment tab > Hospice CAHPS Caregiver Details tab.

From here you have two options:

1. At the top section of the screen you will have option to "disqualify the decedent from the CAHPS survey. See notes below.

2. At the bottom section of the screen, you will have the option to include the caregiver in the survey. See notes below.

Patients/Caregivers NOT being sent on the survey:

Of the six options listed, select the reason why the decedent/caregiver will be disqualified for the survey and click the Save CAHPS Data button. After you select a reason, the bottom portion for caregiver information will disappear. If you did select a reason by mistake, you can right-click it to deselect the item. The caregiver questions at the bottom will then reappear.

Patients/Caregivers that WILL be sent on the survey:

The items with yellow boxes are required before saving. Select pieces of information will be copied forward from the patient's referral. The caregiver fields from the referral will not copy forward due to irregular use of these fields. NOTE: The caregiver and emergency contact information, at the bottom of the page, is included so that you can copy and paste select information as needed.

The patient's last name is copied to the caregiver's last name
The patient's address will be blank, with an option to "Copy the Patient's Address"
The language is defaulted to English
The facility name of your agency will automatically be filled in
"Patient is a US Military Veteran" will default to No
If the discharge reason is "09 Expired at Home," the "Last Care Location" will default to Home

Click the Save CAHPS Data button when finished. If any required fields are blank, you will need to answer them before information will be saved.

Billing - Time Limits For Filing Claims

linda@barnestorm.com — Wed, 06 May 2026 03:36:56 GMT

MEDICAID:

Medicaid claims, except inpatient claims and nursing facility claims, must be received by NCTracks within 365 days of the first date of service to be accepted for processing and payment. Medicaid hospital inpatient and nursing facility claims must be received within 365 days of the last date of service on the claim.

Reference: https://medicaid.ncdhhs.gov/providers/claims-and-billing

MEDICARE - Home Health:

The time limit for filing all Medicare fee-for-service claims (Part A and Part B claims) is 12 months, or 1 calendar year from the date services were furnished.

The "Through" date on claims will be used to determine the timely filing date. Example: A claim has a From date of 7/1/2012 and a Through date of 7/31/2012. The claim must be received by 7/31/2013.

References:

http://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-guidance/Guidance/Transmittals/downloads/R2140CP.pdf

MEDICARE - HOSPICE:

Home health and hospice billing transactions, including claims, and adjustments must be submitted no later than 12 months, or 1 calendar year, after the date the services were furnished.

Reference: http://www.cgsmedicare.com/hhh/education/materials/timely_claim_filing_req.html

BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD:

Providers participating with BCBSNC are required to file FEP (Federal Employee Program) claims by December 31st of the calendar year, following the year in which the services were rendered or the date of discharge. Corrected claims must be submitted no later than one year (12 months) from the date of service. Section 4.12.4 of BCBS Manual

Claims for professional services provided to BlueCard® members having coverage with other Blue Plans (non-BCBSNC) must be submitted to BCBSNC within 180 days of providing service. Institutional/facility claims must be filed within 180 days of the member’s discharge date. Note: Providers contracted with BCBSNC are allowed 180 days for claim submissions to be eligible for benefits release. However, members from other Blue Plans may have shorter filing time limitations applied depending on their individual benefit structure or State legal requirements. Therefore, BCBSNC participating providers are encouraged to file claims for BlueCard® patients without delay. Section 5.7.4 of BCBS Manual

Note: It is important to verify your payer's timely filing requirement, (during the admission process), as some payers have a much shorter window to submit claims.

Important Contacts/References For Billing Staff

linda@barnestorm.com — Wed, 06 May 2026 03:35:34 GMT

Barnestorm Knowledgebase is a great resource for Barnestorm issues and billing issues. If you cannot find what you are looking for in our Knowledgebase, listed below are other useful resources. We also have a billing specialist available Monday through Friday, to assist with common billing issues, between 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

MEDICAID: NC Tracks

NC Tracks Automated Voice Response System (AVRS): 1-800-723-4337

NC Tracks Contact Center: 1-800-688-6696 (You will need your NPI or Atypical Provider Number)

NC Tracks Issues List or Checkwrite Schedules: NC Tracks website. Click Providers tab. Look under Quick Links

*You can also access our Barnestorm Article for schedules, click here.

Tip: Always verify, with the patient, that they have given you all their insurance information, as the system may not always be up-to-date. The best resource for getting “real time” information is the patient.

If you need assistance verifying a physician NPI number: NPPES NPI Registry

MEDICARE:

Medicare website: www.palmettogba.com/Medicare

The Claims Payment Issues Log is a great “go-to spot” for common billing issues.

Medicare Provider Contact Center: 1-855-696-0705 (Interactive Voice Response System-IVR)

You will need your NPI number, last 5 digits of your Tax I.D. number and PTAN number.

The Medicare Technology Center can assist you with DDE Log-in issues and assist you with problems/issues with ERA downloads. You will need your submitter I.D., NPI number, Tax I.D. number and PTAN number.

Hospice Donations (In Memory Of)

linda@barnestorm.com — Wed, 06 May 2026 03:33:02 GMT

To key in Hospice Donations go to Bereavement > Donations. When the screen opens, you will have the following options:

• Add Donation – Start your donation entry by entering information into the Donation Card fields: Name, Address Information, Donation$ and or Donation Non$, Cash/Check information, Check#, Receipt # (agency will assign the receipt#), and any Note you would like to include on the Receipt.

• Remove Donation – This deletes the selected donation entry. You will receive a confirmation popup prior to the entry being deleted. If you wish to proceed with the removal, click Yes. Otherwise, click No.

• Choose Columns – Here you will choose which columns you want to appear on the report for the Full List.

• Print Full List – Report will display all donations, based on the columns you choose above.

• Print Receipt – Click to preview/print the receipt.

• Save Donation – Saves the donation entry. The entry will be displayed at the bottom of screen. To view or edit the entry, reselect it from the bottom.

• Set Thank You Reminder – Allows you to generate a reminder message to send a Thank You. Once the Thank You has been sent, you can complete that as done by checking “Thank You Sent” checkbox.

• Notice Posted – Check that option once the notice has been posted.

• Post to A/R – When you click the Post To A/R tab, the Post Donation to Accounts Receivable screen will appear, to allow you to post the payment to AR. You will need your agency payment code for Donations, as well as the agency Donations Adjustment code to key in each entry.

NOTE: You can use the Accounts Receivable > Post Payments > Post Paper Remittances option to post general Donations.

Hospice - Continuous Care Billing

linda@barnestorm.com — Wed, 06 May 2026 03:32:07 GMT

Hospice - Continuous Care Billing

Continuous home care is to be provided only during periods of crisis to maintain the beneficiary at home. See more tips below.

💡 Tips on Billing for Continuous Home Care

Hospice continuous home care (CHC) is billed when a patient experiences a crisis requiring more intensive nursing care, typically at least 8 hours in a 24-hour period, to manage symptoms.
A minimum of 8 hours of nursing care must be provided within a 24-hour period (midnight to midnight).
The majority of the care hours (over 50%) must be provided by a registered nurse (RN), licensed practical nurse (LPN), or licensed vocational nurse (LVN).
The need for CHC and the specific care provided must be documented in the patient's medical record.
Revenue code 0652 is used when billing for continuous home care.
Hours are billed in 15-minute increments, and a minimum of 32 units (8 hours) must be billed to receive the CHC rate.
If the minimum 8 hours of CHC are not met, the day is billed as routine home care.

Medicare and Medicaid

Medicare and Medicaid may have specific guidelines and coverage for CHC. Contact payer for guidance.
Medicaid coverage for CHC can vary by state. Contact Medicaid for guidance.

19.55 Hospice Contacts

linda@barnestorm.com — Wed, 06 May 2026 03:28:01 GMT

Hospice Contacts - 19.55

This report displays all Hospice contacts that have been keyed into your Barnestorm system via the Bereavement screen. See link below on how to add those contacts.

How to Run the Report

Go to Reports > Hospice > 19.55 Hospice Contacts
At the Death Date on or After field: Type in the date of death for your search.
Click the Print the Report tab to print the report.

How to Read the Report

**The line prior to each grid will show the patient name and chart number with the number of contacts in parenthesis.

Contact Name/Relationship: Name of contact and relation to the patient.
Birthdate/Sex: Birth date and sex of the contact.
Home Phone/Work Phone: Contact's home phone number and work number.
Address/City/State/Zip: Contact's address.
Health: Health issues (or whatever is recorded in that field).
Substance Abuse: Any recorded substance abuse.
Death date: Date of death.

Where Do I Document Hospice/Bereavement Contacts?

The information in this report is documented in the Bereavement screen. Click Bereavement Contact for instructions on how to add contacts.

📅 Last updated: 5/06/2026
📩 Need help? Contact Barnestorm Support

Bereavement Contact

linda@barnestorm.com — Wed, 06 May 2026 03:27:23 GMT

Bereavement Contact

Documenting "contact information" when your patient has expired.

The Bereavement Contacts screen allows you to document information about friends and family of a deceased patient. This information is vital in tracking the visits, phone calls, and letters that are sent when a patient expires.

🔹 How to Document a Bereavement Contact

Select Patient screen: Type in the patient name or chart number to locate the patient.
Click the Bereavement tab.
Type your information onto the Contact Card.
Click Save Contact, in the upper right, to save the information.
Repeat steps 4-6 for all the bereaved contacts that you wish to add.
Click Print Full List or Print Short List, if desired.

🔹 Import from Referral > Contacts List

Click the Import Contacts dropdown box
Select a contact to import.
Review the information that was inserted and modify, as needed.
Click Save Contact, in the upper right, to save the information.
Repeat the process for any other contacts you want to import.

🔹 Edit a Bereavement Contact

Select the contact that you wish to edit by clicking on the contact at the bottom of the screen.
The fields of the Contact Card will be loaded with that contacts information. Make any necessary edits.
Click Save Contact, in the upper right, once edits are complete.

❌ Remove a Bereavement Contact

Select the contact that you wish to delete by clicking on the contact at the bottom of the screen.
Click Remove Contact at the top.
A popup will appear. If you are sure you want to delete the contact, click Yes. If you do not wish to proceed, click No.

📅 Last updated: 5/06/2026
📩 Need help? Contact Barnestorm Support

I Am Locked Out of Barnestorm POC, What Do I Need To Do?

linda@barnestorm.com — Tue, 05 May 2026 07:08:42 GMT

I Am Locked Out Of Barnestorm POC, What Do I Need To Do?

Click link for video tutorial.

📽️Video-User Lockout

Warning

If you have attempted 3 unsuccessful login attempts you will be locked out of Barnestorm, and any patient-identifying information will be deleted from your local device until your profile becomes unlocked. For security reasons, we do not unlock accounts via chat because we are unable to validate employees to verify in person or by voice. Therefore, we ask that supervisors unlock the profile(s) using the steps below. (We can also assist the supervisor during live chat.)

Initial Steps to be Completed in Barnestorm Office:

Go to Barnestorm Office > Admin > Employee Security and select the employee by entering their four digit employee code, or search for the employee by name.
Once the employee is selected you can click the Locked button from the top, right corner of the screen. When highlighted it will disable a user from logging into Barnestorm; when not highlighted it will allow the user to login.
Click the Save Complete Employee Security Profile button.

Final Steps to be Completed in Barnestorm POC:

Now that the profile has been unlocked, the POC user can follow normal procedure to log in.
Upon log in, the POC user will need to complete a sync. (An internet connection is required to complete the sync.)
Start a chat so that a Barnestorm representative can complete a rebuild of your database, restoring patient information to the device. **Note: Please run any Windows Updates required for your device. This can cause errors during the rebuild.

Important Notes

If you have forgotten your password, discontinue trying to login after the second failed attempt (to avoid being locked out). Exit the Login window.
Contact your supervisor to get the correct password. Then try to log in.

📅 Last updated: 8/05/2025
📩 Need help? Contact Barnestorm Support

EVV - Using the EVV Visits Screen

farrah@barnestorm.com — Mon, 04 May 2026 11:29:06 GMT

Using the EVV Visits Screen

The EVV Visits screen helps you track scheduled visits in real time as caregivers clock in and out. We recommend daily monitoring.

📽️ EVV Visits Screen Overview

📽️ EVV Visits Navigate

📽️ EVV Status

📽️ EVV Visits | Understanding Time, Scheduled, Actual & Plus-Minus Columns

Filters and Navigation

From / To Date: Select a custom range or use quick filters for a Day, Week, or Month view.
Program: Filter by one program at a time.
Status: Filter by visit status:
- Pending: Visit needs to be verified.
- EVV Verified: Sent to aggregator (Sandata).
- Send Failed: Transmission error occurred and needs resolved.
- Blank: In-Progress, not started, or not Sandata payer.
EVV Payers: View all or a selected EVV payer.
Binocular (and visit preview window): Compares GPS coordinates to the patient's home and contact address to determine the closest match.
- Home or specific contact name with the distance between starting/ending visit and address
- Community Shows distance when greater than five miles away from home address AND not listed under Contacts
- Telephony (Telephonic) Phone number (Patient/Employee/Contact)
- Invalid coordinates Location turned off
- No visit coordinates Manual entry or missed visit
- Progress Visit is still In Progress

Verifying Visits

Automatic: Visits are sent nightly to Sandata.
- Weekdays: Pulls visits from the last 30 days.
- Weekends: Pulls visits from the last 60 days.
Manual: Double-click a visit to send or resend it.
Editing: Re-verifies and re-sends the updated visit.

EVV Status Descriptions

Icon Meaning	Description
	Sandata Payers: The visit has been sent to Sandata - Care Champ, Telephony or Manual. HHAX/CareBridge: Verified does not mean the visit has been imported via Barnestorm, it means the visit is complete and ready for import process.
	The visit is pending to be sent to Sandata.
	Any starting with Send Failed means the visit failed to send to Sandata due to incorrect patient, employee, or visit information. A short description of the error will follow. You can see the article for resolving Sandata errors for more details.

Icon Meaning

Description

Sandata Payers: The visit has been sent to Sandata - Care Champ, Telephony or Manual.

HHAX/CareBridge: Verified does not mean the visit has been imported via Barnestorm, it means the visit is complete

and ready for import process.

The visit is pending to be sent to Sandata.

Any starting with Send Failed means the visit failed to send to Sandata due to incorrect patient, employee, or visit information.
A short description of the error will follow. You can see the article for resolving Sandata errors for more details.

Status Icon Guide

Icon Meaning	Description
	Employee has not clocked in yet.
	Visit was started via CareChamp or Telephony (Actual time shown).
	Visit ended via CareChamp, Telephony, or entered manually.
	Visit has been unlocked by office staff.
	Visit was edited from Barnestorm Office.
	Some required tasks were marked incomplete.
	Employee forgot to clock out of visit. App user will receive an option to automatically clock out of previous visit at next visit clock in. This feature is only active if the missed visit is between 1 and 4 days old.
	Scheduled visit was not completed before today.
	Visit was canceled - non chargeable (not sent to aggregator). Actual time should be blank.
	Visit marked as no charge or under 8 minutes.
	Feature enabled; visit not started by designated late threshold.

Charged (no icon)	When the status description shows Charged, this means the visit within Barnestorm has been prepped and imported for billing/claims (Import Visit Charges).

Visit Completion Type Indicators

The Type column shows how the visit was started and ended. If clock-in and clock-out were done using different methods, both icons will appear.

Visit Views and Summaries

All Visits: Default view showing all visits in the date range.
Patient Summary: Shows all visits for the selected patient.
Emp Summary: Shows all visits for the selected employee.
Summaries: Include totals for visits, scheduled hours, and variance.

📩 Need help? Contact Barnestorm Support

Bill Medicaid Claims

farrah@barnestorm.com — Mon, 04 May 2026 04:48:23 GMT

Bill Medicaid Claims

NC Medicaid Direct (NCTracks) – Process Flow

Verify Eligibility

→

Visits Audited / Imported

→

YOU ARE HERE
Claims Created

→

Transmit to NCTracks / Post Charges

→

Post Remit File

Overview

This step creates Medicaid claims (837) from imported visit charges (Employee Activity > Visit Entry).

Understanding the Billing Screen Layout

The All Other Billing screen is divided into three panels. Use them in the order listed below.

Panel 2 – Billing Criteria: Set billing dates, program(s), and payer(s).
Panel 1 – Patient List: Review the list of active patients for the criteria.
Panel 3 – Charge & Claim Actions: Prepare charges, print reports, and generate the 837 file.

How to Create Medicaid Claims - Standard Clean Claims

Go to Billing > All Other Billing.
Enter your From and Thru service dates.
Select the appropriate Program(s) and Payer(s).
- It is recommended to select one payer at a time.
Optional filters:
- Search by Name or Chart# – bill a single patient or build customized list
- Check Bill Each Day Separately
  - Generates one claim file while splitting each date of service into its own claim. For NC Medicaid, this reduces the risk of all visits for a patient going into pending when a single date has an issue.
Click Select Patients as Specified Above if you do not build a customized list.
- This will use your filter options to add active patients during the time frame.
First Panel: Review the list. You can click on a name to remove from the billing list.
Click Prepare Charges for Billing.
- A report will appear if there are errors. Review the errors and correct before proceeding.
- You can remove patients from the list at this point, but you'll need to click the Prepare Charges button again.
You'll have an option to view a summary or detailed report of charges.
Once you have confirmed charges appear accurate you can click the Create HIPAA Tx button.
- Print is optional. This report shows the name of the billing file.

How to Send Claims

Send claims via SFTP in Barnestorm:Transmit Files to NC Medicaid

If you are not set up for SFTP, upload through the NCTracks portal>:Upload Claims in NCTracks

Printing paper claims can be done from Billing > Print UB04/1500:Print / View an UB04 / 1500

Advanced: Additional Filter Options

Panel 3 – Charge Type: Select the type of charges you are billing (Visits, Supplies, Flu Shots, Other Charges).Make sure the appropriate checkbox is selected.

Dates These Charges Were Keyed: Defaults From = billing From date and Thru = today.Change these dates only if you want to capture charges keyed during a specific time frame (example: late entries).

Include Modified Charges: When checked, includes charges that were added or modified during the keyed date range.When unchecked, includes only charges added during the range.