Practical guide · EVV and visits
How to choose EVV software for IDD providers.
Published 2026-10-29 · Updated 2026-10-29
Electronic visit verification (EVV) software records when and where a Medicaid personal care or home health visit happened. Choosing one is less about features than about fit: your state's EVV model, the payers you bill and how your staff actually work. This guide gives you the questions to ask, in order, so you can compare options on what matters.
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Key points
The short version.
- Learn your state's EVV model and aggregators first.
- Confirm all six required data points are captured.
- Get the aggregator connection and testing status in writing.
- Judge the exception workflow, not just the clock-in.
- Test the caregiver experience on real phones.
- Demo with your own scenarios and get the full price.
01 · EVV and visits
Start with your state's EVV model.
Federal law requires states to verify certain visits electronically, but each state chooses how. Some provide one state system every agency must use. Others let agencies use their own EVV system if it sends visit data to the state's or managed care plan's aggregator. Some do both.
Before you look at any product, find out which model your state and each managed care plan you bill use, whether third-party systems are allowed, and what testing or approval a system needs before you can send live data.
- Is there a mandatory state system, an open vendor model or both?
- Which aggregator receives visit data for each payer?
- What approval or testing does a third-party system need?
- Which of your services are EVV services in your state?
02 · EVV and visits
Confirm it captures the six required data points.
Every compliant system must verify the type of service, the person receiving it, the date, the location of service delivery, the staff member providing it, and the time it begins and ends. Ask how each one is captured, and what happens when one is missing.
- Service type and the person served.
- Date and location of service.
- The staff member providing it.
- Start and end time.
03 · EVV and visits
Check that it connects to your aggregator and payers.
A system that records visits but cannot deliver them to the aggregator your payers use leaves you re-entering data or risking denied claims. Ask for the exact connection: which aggregator, which file or interface, how rejections come back and who fixes them.
Ask whether the vendor has completed testing with that aggregator for your state, and get the answer in writing.
04 · EVV and visits
Look closely at how exceptions are handled.
Most of the daily work in EVV is not the clock-in; it is the exceptions: missed punches, visits outside the scheduled time, wrong location, visits with no schedule. Ask to see the exception screen with realistic data.
Good exception handling shows the visit with its schedule and recorded events, lets authorized staff record what happened and why, keeps the original data, and limits manual edits to what your state allows.
- Where do exceptions appear, and who is assigned to them?
- Can a reviewer see the schedule, events and notes together?
- Is every correction recorded with a reason and the person who made it?
- Are manual edits limited the way your state requires?
05 · EVV and visits
Make sure staff can actually use it.
EVV only works if direct support professionals clock in and out at every visit. Test the caregiver experience on the phones your staff carry.
Ask what happens with no cell signal, whether there is a telephone (IVR) option from the person's home, whether the app works in the languages your staff speak, and how long training takes. Federal guidance also says the person receiving services should not have to supply a phone or internet connection.
06 · EVV and visits
Connect EVV to the rest of your records.
A visit is not only a time record. It is linked to the person's authorization, the service note and the claim. Ask whether the system checks visits against authorized units, connects the visit to the staff member's note and supports your billing workflow, or whether your team will reconcile those by hand.
07 · EVV and visits
Ask about data, security and cost.
Ask how health information is protected, whether the vendor will sign a business associate agreement, who owns the visit data, how you get it back if you leave and how long it is kept.
Get the full price in writing: per person, per staff member or per visit, setup and training fees, aggregator connection fees and contract length.
08 · EVV and visits
Run a demo with your own scenarios.
Bring three real situations from last month, with names removed, and ask the vendor to walk through each one live: a missed clock-out, a visit that started at the wrong address and a visit with no matching schedule. Watch who does what and how many screens it takes.
Ask for references from agencies in your state that bill the same payers.
09 · EVV and visits
Where LunahUP fits.
LunahUP shows EVV exceptions with the visit details so authorized staff can investigate and record a decision, and a configured CareBridge workflow prepares visit files and records responses.
Confirm your program, agency enrollment and required specification before relying on any EVV connection, ours included.
Questions people ask
Short answers.
What should I look for in EVV software?
A fit with your state's EVV model, a tested connection to your payers' aggregator, all six required data points, a clear exception workflow and an app your staff will use at every visit.
Can I use my own EVV software instead of the state's?
It depends on your state. Some require a state system; others allow third-party systems that send data to their aggregator after testing. Check with your state and each managed care plan.
Is free state EVV software enough?
It meets the requirement where the state provides it. Agencies often add their own system when they want EVV connected to schedules, notes and billing. Compare the extra work each option leaves your staff.
Does EVV software need GPS?
No. Federal guidance says GPS is one option, not a requirement; telephone check-in from the home is a common alternative. Your state may set its own rules.
What questions should I ask in an EVV software demo?
Ask the vendor to handle a missed clock-out, a visit at the wrong location and a visit with no schedule, and to show the aggregator connection, corrections history and full pricing.
Sources
Check the official source.
Requirements change and differ by state. Confirm current rules with your state agencies and payers.
Keep the work connected
Related LunahUP workflows.
Bring your own scenarios
Bring the visit exception that cost your team the most time.
Inspect a fictional visit, its available evidence and the human decision needed before any next step.
Book a 30-minute compliance demoUse sample data. No patient or employee records needed for the demo. Booking does not create an account or start billing.