Part B News | Editors' Blog

CMS to charge $505 enrollment fee for some providers

by: Grant Huang Mar 28, 2011

You will have to pony up $505 per provider to enroll them for Medicare billing privileges -- but only if you are an "institutional provider." This category basically refers to any provider who is enrolling to supply durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics and supplies (DMEPOS). Most notably, physicians, non-physician practitioners (NPP) or groups of either that are not DMEPOS suppliers don't have to pay the fee.

Claims for SNF codes were incorrectly denied

by: Grant Huang Mar 22, 2011

A wide swatch of skilled nursing facility (SNF) services, primarily for ultrasound and echocardiography, were incorrectly denied between Jan. 1 and March 14, 2011. The incorrect denials were caused by Medicare contractors not updating their claims processing system edits to include a total of 37 codes in the 76000 code series, CMS says.

Medicare's annual wellness visits get strong start

by: Lauren C. Williams Mar 16, 2011

The new annual wellness visits for seniors received acclaim on Capitol Hill Wednesday and its success could mean a revenue boost for your practice. Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) boasted of the Medicare program’s success and potential overall cost reduction in a Senate Finance Committee hearing on the progress of new benefits and programs enacted by The Affordable Care Act, according to a media release.

CMS: Wellness visits done in hospital settings will be held until April

by: Grant Huang Mar 14, 2011

CMS has issued a reminder that annual wellness visit (AWV) services rendered in the hospital setting (inpatient or outpatient) will be held by contractors and not paid until April 3. This only applies to AWVs that are billed alone on a claim; when the AWV is billed with another service, the entire claim will be processed, the agency says. The reason is that Medicare contractors must update their claims processing systems; they won't be ready to process standalone AWVs until April 3.

Obama's proposed 2012 budget includes 2-year pay fix

by: Grant Huang Feb 15, 2011

Just in time for Valentine's Day, President Obama's proposed 2012 budget was unveiled Feb. 14 and includes a two-year physician payment fix that freezes the 25% cut called for by the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR). The two years are theoretically fully paid for by savings that HHS/CMS expects to reap from Medicare and Medicaid. These expected savings come from two sources: payments recovered by federal fraud and abuse efforts, and better prices on drugs purchased by the Medicare and Medicaid programs.

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