Q. Is a Physician/Licensed Independent Practitioner's order required for the use of a pulse oximeter?
A. No, an order does not need to be obtained unless required by State Law and/or Practice Acts.
There is one exception: in the case of a Medicare certified home health agency, when pulse oximetry for a Medicare beneficiary is a part of his or her ongoing plan of care, the order needs to be included on the 485 or corresponding update/modification order. The order should also contain parameters to be reported to the physician.