|
|
March 8, 2007
The FMA E-News is emailed to all members of the Florida Medical
Association semimonthly. The FMA, located in Tallahassee, Fla.,
serves as an advocate for physicians and their patients to promote the
public health, to ensure high standards in medical education and ethics, and
to enhance the quality and availability of health care.
|
Spring Forward on March 11!
On August 8, 2005, President George W. Bush signed the Energy
Policy Act of 2005. This Act changed the time change dates for
Daylight Saving Time in the U.S. Beginning in 2007, DST will
begin on the second Sunday in March and end the first Sunday in
November. Daylight Saving Time will begin at 2:00 am on Sunday
March 11th. Don't forget to move your clocks forward one hour.
|
|
National Provider Identifier (NPI) |
|
|
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reminds
physicians and other providers that on May 23, 2007, the NPI
will replace health care provider identifiers that are in
use today in HIPAA standard transactions. Health care
providers should remember that getting an NPI is free and
easy. Time is running out!
Click here for more information on how to obtain your
NPI number.
|
|
|
|
Rao
Musunuru, M.D., a practicing Cardiologist and FMA member
from Hudson, Florida has been appointed to serve as a member
of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (N.H.L.B.I.)
Advisory Council, National Institutes of Health (N.I.H.).
Congratulations Dr. Musunuru!
|
|
Revised Advanced Beneficiary Notice (ABN) |
A notice was published in the Federal Register on February
23, 2007 regarding a revised version of the general ABN
(CMS-R-131). Public comments are requested during the
60-day comment period and will be considered as part of
finalizing the revised ABN. The ABN is used to inform
beneficiaries of potential financial liability, except in
home health care and inpatient hospital settings. Formerly,
CMS maintained two versions of the ABN, a general and
lab-test specific version, but with this revision, CMS
proposes to combine these two versions of the ABN into a
single notice meeting both needs. Other proposed changes
are described in the Web site posting. Physicians,
practitioners, providers and suppliers already required to
use ABNs will continue to use the currently approved ABN
until the revised notice is finalized and approved.
To view the announcement and requirements for submitting
comments in the Federal Register, go to:
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/advanced.html.
Under "Search by Issue Date," on the "Specific Date:" line,
select "On" and enter "02/23/2007" in the date field. After
"Search:" in the next line, enter "CMS-R-131". The
announcement should appear first if multiple items are
found.
To obtain copies of the ABN and supporting documents, go to:
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/PaperworkReductionActof1995.
On the menu on the left side of this page, click on "PRA
Listing", then scroll down or search for "CMS-R-131."
Alternatively, you may email your request including your
name, address, phone number, OMB control number (0938-0566)
and CMS document identifier (CMS-R-131) to
Paperwork@cms.hhs.gov,
or call the Reports Clearance Office on 410.786.1326. In
order to be accepted, comments must be sent to:
CMS, Office of Strategic Operations and
Regulatory Affairs,
Division of Regulations Development – C
Attention: Bonnie L. Harkless
Room C4-26-05,
7500 Security Blvd.
Baltimore, Maryland 21244-1850
|
Health Professional Shortage Area Incentive Payment Processes
Physicians are eligible for a 10 percent incentive payment when
they render service(s) in certain medically underserved areas.
These areas, known as Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs),
may cover an entire county or a portion of a county or city, and
are designated as either rural or urban HPSAs. HPSA designations
are made by the Division of Shortage Designation (DSD) of the
Public Health Service (PHS). The incentive payments are based
on 10 percent of the paid amount for both assigned and
nonassigned claims for services performed by the physician. The
incentive payment is not made on a claim-by-claim basis; rather,
payments are issued quarterly.
Click here for more information.
|
|
Timely Claim Filing Guidelines for All Medicare Providers |
|
All Medicare claims must be submitted to the contractor
within the established timeliness parameters. For timeliness
purposes, services furnished in the last quarter of the
calendar year are considered furnished in the following
calendar year. The time parameters are:
|
Dates of Service |
Last
Filing Date |
|
October 1, 2004 – September 30, 2005 |
by
December 31, 2006 |
|
October 1, 2005 – September 30, 2006 |
by
December 31, 2007 |
|
October 1, 2006 – September 30, 2007 |
by
December 31, 2008 |
|
October 1, 2007 – September 30, 2008 |
by
December 31, 2009 |
If December 31 falls a Saturday, Sunday, federal nonworking
or legal holiday, the last filing date is extended to the
next succeeding workday.
Claims must be submitted complete and free of errors.
Any claim filed with invalid or incomplete information, and
returned unprocessable, is not protected from the timely
filing guidelines.
|
|
|
To sign-up to receive ENews Weekly, please send your name and email
address to
communicaitons@medone.org
|
|
| | |