Updates

Below you will find a listing of current Medicare changes and updates to the Web site pertinent to the New England area.

For National CMS program information updates (transmittals, corrections/changes to existing Medicare guidelines) refer to What's New.

Note: Should you have landed here as a result of a search engine (or other) link, be advised that these files contain material which is copyrighted by the American Medical Association (AMA). You are forbidden to download the files unless you read, agree to and abide by the provisions of the copyright statement. Read the copyright statement now (you will be linked back to here).

March | February | January | December | November | October | September

March

11 March 2010

• The Questions and Answers have been published for the NHIC CMS 2010 Updates Teleconference on January 27, 2010.
• The Questions and Answers have been published for the NHIC Non Physician Practitioner Teleconference on February 17, 2010.
• The following Comprehensive Error Rate Testing (CERT) Physician Letters have been published for DME: Therapeutic Diabetic Shoes, Oxygen and Supplies, Ostomy Supplies, Nebulizers, Glucose Monitor and Supplies, Urological Supplies, and Physician Ordering Supplies.
• The Standard Paper Remittance Advice Billing Guide has been updated.

4 March 2010

• A new educational article has been published for Medical Review on Signature Requirements.

February

25 February 2010

• The March 2010 J14 A/B MAC Resource has been published.
• The 2010 Allowance Limit for Medicare Part B Drugs has been revised.

11 February 2010

• The Physical and Occupational Therapy Billing Guide has been updated.
• An educational article has been published for Centralized Billing for Flu and Pneumococcal Vaccination 2010 Annual Notice.
• The Non Physician-Practitioners Billing Guide has been updated.
• Notice to submitters of upcoming maintenance on the electronic claims Carrier Bulletin Board System (CABBS)
  
  At this time, the J14 EDI department would like to advise Part B electronic claims submitters of changes being made to the CABBS main menu effective April 10, 2010.
  
  The number of CABBS options on each page has not been altered and therefore should not impact providers with scripting logic, unless one of the options listed below is selected:
  
  Although the changes should have little to no effect on the users, we want to bring these to your attention.
  
  From the CABBS System Operator Menu,
  When you select option 2: CABBS Main Menu
  The following changes will be made.
  Option 3) Claims Submission Menu
              1) Set up CABBS to Receive Claims
              5) Blast
  When option 5 (Blast) is selected, the customer will be given the message “Option Not Available”
  
  Option 6) Inquiry – Eligibility
  When selected, the customer will be given the message “The 270 transaction is not supported through the Medicare Part B Program”.
• Healthcare Provider Taxonomy Codes (HPTC) Update April 2010 (CR 6840)
  The HPTC set is maintained by the National Uniform Claim Committee (NUCC) for standardized classification of health care providers. The NUCC updates the code set twice a year with changes effective April 1 and October 1. The HPTC list is posted to the NUCC Web site at www.nucc.org/taxonomy. The PDF download of the codes is available from the NUCC site at www.nucc.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=91&Itemid=53.
  The changes to the code set include the addition of a new code and addition of definitions to existing codes. When reviewing the Health Care Provider Taxonomy code set online, revisions made since the last release can be identified by the color code; new items are green, modified items are orange, and inactive items are red.
  Reference: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/transmittals/downloads/R1896CP.pdf

4 February 2010

• A new provider education article has been published for Medicare Appeals – The Importance of Getting It To the Right Place At the Right Time!
• The Provider Outreach and Education Advisory Group minutes for the January 2010 meeting have been published.

January

28 January 2010

• The February 2010 J14 A/B MAC Resource has been published.
• The following 2010 Fee Schedules have been published: Chiropractic, Clinical Social Worker, Clinical Psychologist, and Splints and Casts.
• The 2010 HCPCS Changes, Additions and Deletions have been published.
• A new educational article has been published for a New Place of Service Code for Walk-in Retail Health Clinic.

21 January 2010

• The 2010 Anesthesia and corrections for the 2010 Physicians Fee Schedules have been published.

6 January 2010

• 2010 Physician Fee Schedules have been published. Please note, the fee schedules published are the most recent fees issued from CMS.

December

30 December 2009

• The January 2010 J14 A/B MAC Resource has been published.
• A new article on Teaching Anesthesiologists and Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) has been published.

24 December 2009

• The fee schedule for Payment Allowance Limits for Medicare Part B Drugs - January 1 to March 31, 2010, have been published. The 2009 January and October Payment Allowance Limits for Medicare Part B Drugs have been updated.

23 December 2009

• The Ambulatory Surgical Center and Clinical Lab 2010 fee schedules have been published.

17 December 2009

• CMS Approved Audit Issues Posted for Region A Recovery Audit Contractor.
• The Part B LCD December Updates have been published.

10 December 2009

• The Electronic Data Interchange-Provider-Submitter Agreement has been updated.
• The 2010 Ambulance Fee Schedule has been posted.
• The CABBS Error Summary Report has been updated.

3 December 2009

• New educational articles have been published for Place of Service (POS) and Date of Service (DOS) Instructions for the Interpretation (Professional Component) and Technical Component of Diagnostic Tests (This article has been removed due to CR being cancelled) and FDG PET for Solid Tumors and Myeloma.
• The questions and answers have been published for the General Surgery Teleconference held on October 27, 2009.

November

24 November 2009

• The December 2009 J14 A/B MAC Resource has been published.

19 November 2009

• The Preventive Services Billing Guide has been updated.
• The 2010 Medicare Participating Physician or Supplier Agreement has been published.

12 November 2009

• Update Your Addresses!
  “Do Not Forward” (DNF) notice.
  All providers must notify their Contractor (J14--NHIC, Corp.) of any changes of address.
  To do this:
  1. Visit the CMS Enrollment website and download the Enrollment Form that pertains to you or your group or organization:
  http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MedicareProviderSupEnroll/02_EnrollmentApplications.asp#TopOfPage
  2. Update the form with your new information and mail it to:
  NHIC, Corp.
  Provider Enrollment
  P.O. Box 3434
  Hingham, MA 02044
  
  NHIC, Corp. uses “return service requested” envelopes for certain mailings, and when an envelope is returned, we apply a Do Not Forward (DNF) flag to the provider’s Medicare Number. Once this happens, no additional checks will be generated until a properly completed change of address form is received and verified by NHIC, Corp. CMS requires corrections to all addresses before the contractor can remove the DNF flag and begin paying the provider or supplier again.
  Protect yourself from payment delays by submitting your changes timely.
  (IOM Pub. 100-04 Chapter 1 Section 80.5.1)

5 November 2009

• Test Your Part B Knowledge on the Clerical Error Reopening process. A new quiz has been published as an educational tool.

October

29 October 2009

• The November 2009 J14 A/B MAC Resource has been published.
• 2010 Fee Schedules: The upcoming Annual Participation Enrollment period documents and the upcoming MPFS will be published on the NHIC, Corp. Web site after the physician fee schedule regulation is put on display. Please watch your listserv notices for future updates.

22 October 2009

• The Mental Health Services teleconference Questions and Answers have been published.

8 October 2009

• The following Local Coverage Determinations have been revised with an effective date of 10/05/2009, L30258 J14 Parts A and B Erythropoiesis Stimulating Agents (ESA) Unrelated To ESRD or Cancer and L30269 - J14 Parts A and B Chiropractic Service (Manual Spinal Manipulations).
• The following Local Coverage Determination has been revised with an effective date of 11/01/2009, L18917 – J14 Part B Category III CPT Codes.
• Test Your Part B Knowledge Quiz for Appeals has been published.

1 October 2009

• The September 17, 2009 Provider Outreach and Education Advisory Group meeting minutes have been published.

September

24 September 2009

• The October 2009 J14 A/B MAC Resource has been published.

17 September 2009

• An Educational Article has been published for Screen Shots for Internet-based Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System (PECOS).

10 September 2009

• Fall 2009 J14 A/B MAC Educational Conference CEU's! We are pleased to announce we are able to offer Five Continuing Education Units (CEU's) for attending the all-day conference. You will be provided the certificate on the day of the event. For registration, schedule, topic description, and more information "Click Here". For "Questions" in regards to the conference or "No Internet Access" please call 781-741-3190.
• The October Update to the 2009 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Database (MPFSDB) has been posted (CR 6617).

3 September 2009

• NHIC J14 A/B MAC Provider Call Center - The Provider Call Center will be closed on Friday of each week from 8:00AM to 10:00AM effective September 18, 2009, for their weekly training sessions. The Customer Service Representatives are available Monday through Thursday, 8:00AM to 4:00PM Eastern Standard Time (EST) and Friday, 10:00AM to 4:00 PM EST.
• Fall 2009 J14 A/B MAC Educational Conference!
  
  NHIC, Corp. is pleased to present the Fall Educational Conference on October 13, 2009, in Norwood, MA, at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel and Conference Center.
  
  Please join the Provider Outreach and Education team of NHIC, Corp. for an informative educational conference on Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B services.
  
  For schedule, topic description, and more information "Click Here". For "Questions" in regards to the conference or "No Internet Access" please call 781-741-3190.
• How well do you know Provider Enrollment? A new Test Your Knowledge Part B Quiz for Provider Enrollment has been published.

back to top

03/11/2010