Noridian will become the Medicare Administrative Contractor for Jurisdiction E (JE) that is comprised of California, Hawaii, Nevada, American Samoa, Guam, and Northern Mariana Islands. For non-private practices, the transition from Palmetto will occur on August 26, 2013 and for private practices, will occur on September 16, 2013. For additional information, click HERE.

Effective March 13, 2013 CMS Ruling 1455-R established an interim process allowing all hospitals to bill Medicare for Part B services after receiving a denial for a Part A inpatient admission claim as not reasonable and necessary. This process applies to Part A hospital inpatient claims that were denied by a Medicare review contractor because the inpatient admission was determined not reasonable and necessary, as long as the denial was made: (1) while this Ruling is in effect; (2) prior to the effective date of this Ruling, but for which the timeframe to file an appeal has not expired; or

Wisconsin Physician Services will be hosting a seminar on July 16, 2013 in Iowa City, Iowa titled “Outpatient Therapy Guidelines“. The seminar runs from 1:00PM-4:00PM CT. The registration fee is $62.00 per person and includes lunch and all materials. Space is limited to the first 50 registrants. Topics covered in the program include the following: Requirements for a Plan of Care Certifications and Recertifications Evaluations and Reevaluations Therapy Caps Documentation Requirements New Legislation

Effective June 18, 2013, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will allow providers with a physical disability to use a rubber stamp as signature when ordering or referring medical services for Medicare beneficiaries. To claim the signature exemption, providers with a physical disability must provide proof to a CMS contractor of their inability to sign their signature. With few exceptions, stamped signatures are not acceptable as described in Chapter/Section 3.3.2.4 of the Medicare Program Integrity Manual. To access the MLN Matters article, click HERE.

In the linked special edition article, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) clarifies policy for processing split claims for institutional providers that span the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Edition (ICD-10) implementation date of October 1, 2014. ICD-9 codes are effective for that portion of the services rendered on September 30, 2014, and earlier. ICD-10 codes are effective for that portion of the services rendered on October 1, 2014, and later. CMS will require providers to