At a minimum, a Good Faith Exam (GFE) should be performed annually, but may be required more often depending on the circumstances.
The good faith exam should be performed on any patient receiving treatment for the first time. From this GFE, the provider develops a treatment plan which will often include multiple treatments over several sessions. A GFE does not need to be performed for each session included in that treatment plan.
With that said, a new GFE should be performed:
- If a patient seeks additional services not anticipated during the initial GFE, or not included in the initial treatment plan;
- The patient discontinues the treatment plan, but then desires to resume treatment after a substantial delay; or
- A patient’s health changes materially, either during the course of a treatment plan or thereafter.
There is no hard and fast rule. It is a question of the applicable medical standard of care. When in doubt, a physician or midlevel should decide if a GFE is required.