MedicaidDocumentationHigh impact
[Ohio] Behavioral Health Time-based Service Documentation Requirement
CareSource·OH · Psychiatry·Specialty Services
Effective date
Sep 1, 2026
We identified it
Jul 15, 2026
Summary
CareSource Ohio Medicaid is changing behavioral health time-based service documentation requirements. Effective September 1, 2026, providers must document start and stop times for all behavioral health services; documentation showing only total time will no longer be accepted. Claims for dates of service on or after September 1, 2026 that lack start and stop times will be denied after medical record review.
Action Required
By August 31, 2026: Billing team and clinical staff must implement documentation changes for all behavioral health time-based services. (1) Update all encounter forms, templates, and EMR workflows to require providers to document both start time and stop time for each behavioral health service provided. (2) Remove or disable fields that allow documentation of total time only. (3) Train all clinical staff on the new requirement. (4) Audit claims with dates of service on or after September 1, 2026 to ensure start and stop times are documented before submission. (5) Implement a pre-billing review process to flag any behavioral health claims missing start/stop times. Failure to comply will result in claim denials after medical record review by CareSource Program Integrity.