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The Outreach and Education Team of the NHIC DME MAC for Jurisdiction A held its first Provider Communications (PCOM) Advisory Group meeting at the NHIC office in Hingham, MA on October, 12, 2006. During this meeting, it was announced that the name for the PCOM Advisory Group will be changing to the Provider Outreach and Education (POE) Advisory Group.
Here, you can access a description/overview of the group, the group's mission statement, meeting minutes, and a list of member organizations. Also included are links to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Web pages for specific information.
POE Advisory Group Membership
The DME MAC Jurisdiction A Outreach & Education Team currently has membership openings for its 2010 POE Advisory Group.
For more information regarding the POE Advisory Group, read the Description/Overview and Mission Statement listed below. For information on how to become a member, please visit the Contact Information section listed below.
POE Advisory Group Meetings:
| Date: | Location: |
| February 10, 2010 | Teleconference Only |
| May 12, 2010 | TBD |
| August 11, 2010 | TBD |
| November 10, 2010 | TBD |
POE Advisory Group Membership Criteria
The Medicare Contractor Beneficiary and Provider Outreach & Education Manual, Chapter 6, provides eligibility requirements and guidelines for the Provider Outreach & Education (POE) Advisory Group and its membership composition. This manual can be accessed via the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Online Manual System at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/manuals/.
The primary function of the POE Advisory Group is to assist in the creation, implementation, and review of contractor provider/supplier education strategies and efforts. The POE Advisory Group provides input and feedback on training topics, provider/supplier education materials, and dates and locations of provider/supplier education workshops and events. The group also identifies salient provider/supplier education issues and recommends effective means of information dissemination to appropriate providers, suppliers, and their staff. The POE Advisory Group should be used as a provider/supplier education/consultant resource and not as an approval or sanctioning authority. While it remains allowable to use POE Advisory Groups to provide updates and facilitate discussion on current issues, the focus of the group meetings should remain centered on the development and implementation of effective provider/supplier communication materials and strategies.
NHIC, DME MAC Jurisdiction A will strive to maintain professional and geographic diversity within our POE Advisory Group. Though only required to hold three meetings, DME MAC Jurisdiction A will continue with a quarterly schedule, with budget considerations determining whether a meeting will be via teleconference or in-person. DME MAC Jurisdiction A is responsible for selecting the appropriate individuals and organizations to be included in the group. DME MAC Jurisdiction A is required to maintain the group and to recruit potential members, set up and arrange all meetings, handle meeting logistics, produce and distribute an agenda, complete and distribute minutes, and keep adequate records of the advisory group's proceedings. DME MAC Jurisdiction A is expected to consider the suggestions and recommendations of the POE Advisory Group and implement or enact them if deemed reasonable and practicable by DME MAC Jurisdiction A, within the POE requirements and budget constraints.
Information about the POE meetings is posted to this Web page, including minutes and handout materials from the meetings, a listing of membership organizations, contact access for further information, and how to request to become a member. Membership is FREE and is at the discretion of DME MAC Jurisdiction A.
Member Criteria:
- Must be at least one of the following:
- Trade/professional association representative deemed appropriate by DME MAC Jurisdiction A
- Practicing provider/supplier or staff member deemed appropriate by DME MAC Jurisdiction A
- Provider/supplier billing organization deemed appropriate by DME MAC Jurisdiction A
- Must be willing to participate on the POE Advisory Group for a one year tenure
- Must contribute to the educational purpose and objective of the POE Advisory Group
- Must attend three meetings a year, either in-person or via teleconference
- Must be a subscriber to the DME MAC Jurisdiction A ListServe
- Must disseminate the information from the POE meetings and provide copies of dissemination to DME MAC Jurisdiction A
NHIC, DME MAC Jurisdiction A will maintain a membership roster containing a maximum of two representatives from the same organization/company. The membership roster will contain a maximum of 50 members per year. To ensure a diverse group of participants, fairness to all interested parties and fresh ideas for the POE Advisory Group, membership of individual representatives is to be rotated on a yearly basis. At the DME MACs discretion, membership may be extended for additional terms based upon group contribution and attendance. The Executive Officer/Director of each state/specialty association can remain a constant member without rotation. DME MAC Jurisdiction A is responsible for ensuring that the majority of POE Advisory Group members are not current members of any other contractor advisory group.
POE Advisory Group Description/Overview
One of the primary responsibilities of the Outreach & Education Team (O&E) is to assure that suppliers are fully knowledgeable about Medicare provisions and the proper claim submission requirements. Each fiscal year, the expectations of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) relative to the educational responsibilities of O&E are clearly addressed in the Durable Medical Equipment Medicare Administrative Contractor (DME MAC Jurisdiction A) Statement of Work (SOW). The Statement of Work is developed by CMS to outline DME MAC initiatives established to achieve the goal of providing superior customer service while protecting the integrity and promoting the success of the Medicare Trust Fund. One of these initiatives is to maintain a POE Advisory Group. The purpose of the POE Advisory Group is to provide opportunities for the supplier community to:
- Offer advice and recommendations for selection of provider education and training topics;
- Propose suggestions for dissemination methods and/or locations for educational forums; and
- Interact directly with DME MAC Jurisdiction A and CMS staff to discuss current trends and global concerns within the industry and recommend the most appropriate educational means to address them.
POE Advisory Group membership is open to representatives from state medical societies, state supplier associations, billing services, and all other appropriate supplier organizations and third party entities.
POE Advisory Group meetings occur on a quarterly basis, with location selections made to best meet the needs of the participants while staying within funding limitations. The meetings generally consist of a session held by NHIC, DME MAC Jurisdiction A, which includes DME MAC updates/issues, an educational forum, and an open discussion period. Some featured topics have been data analysis and its many uses by O&E for educational initiatives (top claim denial reasons, top procedure codes billed, state-by-state listings of new and active providers, etc.), discussions involving CMS on issues submitted by POE Advisory Group members and "hot topics" such as the new billing requirements for capped rental items.
The O&E Team encourages any and all interested representatives to become a member of the POE Advisory Group. It is important to ensure our targeted educational efforts are both meaningful and helpful to the supplier community as a whole. If you would like more information regarding the POE Advisory Group or if you wish to become a member, please contact the O&E Team at 781-741-3950 or via email: Outreach-Education@hp.com.
Membership is FREE and will be determined at the discretion of the DME MAC.
POE Advisory Group Mission Statement
- In partnership, we define effective educational forums for the Jurisdiction A provider community.
- Together we will address the educational needs of providers through regular briefings, recommendations and requests from the provider community and through assessment of DME MAC tracking initiatives.
- We do this with the support of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in order to assure that providers are fully knowledgeable about Medicare provisions.
POE Advisory Group Contact Information
For additional information regarding the POE Advisory Group:
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12/15/2009
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