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TCM deadline calculator
Enter a patient's discharge date. The calculator returns the transitional care management (TCM) deadlines Medicare uses: interactive contact within 2 business days, a face-to-face visit within 7 calendar days for 99496 or 14 calendar days for 99495, and the end of the 30-day service period that starts on the discharge day.
How it's calculated
Business days are Monday through Friday, excluding federal holidays when that box is on, plus any extra closed dates you add. The contact deadline is the second business day after discharge. The discharge day itself is not counted. Visit deadlines and the period end use calendar days.
Questions
What counts as the TCM interactive contact?
Contact with the patient or caregiver by phone, email, or in person within 2 business days of discharge, by clinical staff who can address their needs beyond scheduling. Two or more separate, timely unsuccessful attempts also satisfy the requirement.
Can AI make the TCM contact call?
An AI call can reach the patient quickly and warm-transfer them to your clinical staff or create an urgent task, but the contact that counts toward TCM should be made by clinical staff, per CMS's description of the service.
What triggers TCM outreach?
Usually a discharge notification. Hospitals with qualifying electronic systems must send admission, discharge, and transfer notifications to the patient's primary care practice under 42 CFR 482.24(d).