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

National Government Services (NGS) will become the Medicare Administrative Contractor for the states of Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin this summer. NGS has developed a website with transition information.To view the implementation schedule and obtain other important transition information, click HERE.

Wisconsin Physician Services (WPS), Medicare Administrative Contractor in Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, and Nebraska, has posted a new dysphagia local coverage determination (LCD) for private practices and non-private practices in the above mentioned states. To access the new LCD for private practices in Indiana and Michigan, click

Wisconsin Physician Services (WPS), Medicare Administrative Contractor in the states of Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, and Nebraska, will be hosting a teleconference for non-private practice settings on July 25, 2013 from 11:00AM-12:30PM eastern time focused on avoiding common appeal issues. No registration is required for this teleconference. At the time of the call, please be prepared to provide the operator the following: your name, facility name, Medicare provider number (or NPI), and the number of participants in the room. Dial-In Number: (866) 246-6880 Conference ID: 40880277

First Coast Service Options, Medicare Administrative Contractor for the state of Florida, will be hosting a webcast on Tuesday, June 25, 2013 from 11:30AM-1:30PM on managing claim submission errors for private practices. For additional information and to register, click HERE.

On May 31, 2013, Cigna Government Services announced they will implement a service specific probe edit for type of bill (TOB) 21X for Resource Utilization Group (RUG) code RUC10. They will review approximately 100 claims as part of this probe review. For additional information and what documentation to submit if you have records requested, click HERE.