Electronic Visit Verification (EVV): Information for Providers and Independent Nurses

Setting up EVV: Steps for providers, including independent nurses

Independent nurses, as “an agency of one,” will have the roles of both administrator and worker in the steps below.

Learn more about the Medicaid-funded service codes requiring use of an EVV system.

Steps for providers, including independent nurses, to prepare for EVV

All providers, regardless of EVV system, should complete these steps:

Update your provider contact information on the Demographic Maintenance area's Mailing Address panel in the ForwardHealth Portal. Important provider information about EVV from the DHS EVV team will be sent to the email provided. Refer to the ForwardHealth Portal Demographic Maintenance Tool User Guide, P-00953 (PDF) for more information.
Review the New to EVV? guide, P-03078 for initial set-up steps.
Start thinking through how EVV will fit into your daily routine and, if appropriate, how to communicate about EVV to the members you serve.
Make a plan to train your workers. Suggestions can be found on the Training Workers for EVV, P-02851 (PDF) resource and Successful Training, P-02706 (PDF).
Share feedback with your health maintenance organization (HMO) or managed care organization (MCO). Become acquainted with their customer care options and claim resubmission policies.

Complete administrator training. Providers must complete the self-paced video series in full to receive credentials and access to the Sandata EVV portal.
- Follow the directions on the EVV Training Registration Guide for Provider Administrators, P-02837 (PDF), to access the Sandata Administrative training videos.
- Please note, the self-paced video trainings do not cover Wisconsin-specific features. Instead, providers should refer to the Wisconsin Supplemental Guide, P-02745 (PDF), as they take the Sandata trainings to learn about Wisconsin-specific features.
- The self-paced video series will take 1.5 hours.
Providers who complete the administrative training will receive a Welcome Kit email from Sandata eTRAC to the email address listed in the ForwardHealth Portal Demographic Maintenance area’s Mailing Address panel. The Welcome Kit has links that provide access to the Sandata EVV portal.
- Using the temporary password provided, log in to the portal as an administrator and reset the password.
- The temporary password will expire after 60 days.
Associate workers, or yourself if you're an independent nurse, to your agency in the ForwardHealth Portal. Chapter 7, Worker Association, of the EVV Portal Functionality User Guide, P-02713 (PDF) gives detailed instructions on how to search for and add workers.
- Two days after adding workers to the ForwardHealth Portal (or adding yourself if you’re an independent nurse), workers should receive an email from Sandata that includes a temporary password for the SMC app that will expire in 60 days.
- Workers should login to the SMC app using the temporary password to reset their password. Confirm a worker has Wi-Fi or cell service to do so. (All future logins can take place without Wi-Fi or cell service.)
Review the resources on the Training Workers webpage and train workers how to check in and out of a visit using the EVV system. Make sure they have access to resources like the Worker ID Card, P-02844a (Word) to be successful.
Have the lead administrator add at least one additional administrator in the Sandata EVV portal as a backup for when the lead administrator is out or unavailable. Use the resources on Training Provider Administrators webpage.
Determine if fixed visit verification (FVV) devices need to be ordered.

Complete the steps on the Alternate EVV webpage.
Reach out to your alternate EVV vendor for specific training steps.
Associate workers, or yourself if you're an independent nurse, to your agency in the ForwardHealth Portal. Chapter 7, Worker Association, of the EVV Portal Functionality User Guide, P-02713 (PDF), gives detailed instructions on how to search for and add workers.

EVV visit data

EVV verifies Medicaid-funded service codes requiring use of an EVV system that were provided by collecting the following information:

Who receives the service
Who provides the service
What service is provided
Where the service is provided
The date of service
The time the service begins and ends

Wisconsin's EVV solution

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) selected an EVV system that can be used by all DHS programs and impacted provider agencies, HMOs, MCOs, Family Care fiscal employer agents (FEAs), and IRIS FEAs. Individual organizations do not need to purchase an EVV solution. Organizations may choose to use an alternate EVV system. Learn more about specific DHS business and technical requirements on the Alternate EVV webpage.

Technology to collect EVV data

When using the DHS-selected Sandata EVV system, workers may use a smart phone, tablet, landline phone, or a fixed VoIP phone to check in and out of a visit. Cellular, internet, and Wi-Fi availability are not required for workers to complete this step. Cellular, internet, or Wi-Fi are only required to send the visit information afterwards. In certain situations, a small digital device provided by DHS can be used to capture visit data.

Alternate EVV systems may provide different options for collecting visit information. Traditional methods of logging information, such as paper records of care, may continue but do not fulfill EVV requirements.

DHS EVV training

DHS provides free train-the-trainer sessions and resources on the DHS-provided Sandata EVV system to the provider administrators across all delivery systems. Administrators from Family Care FEAs and IRIS FEAs will also need this training. Learn more about available training on the EVV Training webpage.

Wisconsin's commitment

DHS recognizes our responsibility to minimize the impact of this federal regulation on your important work. We will continue to work with provider agencies to ensure the following goals are met:

Maintain services provided, including community integration
Support provider selection
Keep an individual’s choice of a worker
Ensure services are provided
Ensure data is secure and compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)