Supervision Requirements: Criteria for the Nurse and Auxiliary Staff When Providing Patient Care Visits.

Physician or advanced care clinicians' (advanced practice nurses, physician assistants) orders are routinely carried out by nursing staff, with the goals of implementing treatment plans and improving patient outcomes. In the outpatient setting, nurses must consider the regulations imposed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services when initiating care and billing for services. Nurses, advanced practice nurses, and other clinicians may deliver care ordered by physicians without the physician being physically present in the room. Such services are considered to be "incident to" the physician's care, and there are requirements of supervision that must be met pertaining to the specific care setting. These guidelines and the implications for WOC nurses are the focus of this article.