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Payment Matters
April 14, 2011
Rolling Back the Clock on DMEPOS Supplier Standards
By: Donna J. Senft
For those DMEPOS suppliers struggling to comply with the new and revised supplier standards that became effective September 27, 2010, CMS offers some relief. CMS acknowledged that certain changes to these new rules were needed to provide clarity and to account for “the realities that certain suppliers confront as they attempt to provide quality care and maintain access for beneficiaries.” CMS published proposed regulations, “Medicare Program; Revisions to the Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) Suppliers Safeguards [PDF]” on April 4, 2011, that would further modify a few of the September 27th rules.
Click to continue...CMS Contractors Disallow Pension Costs in FFY 2012 Wage Index, Finding Pension Plans Overfunded in 2008
By: Mark A. Stanley
An important deadline is looming in the federal fiscal year (FFY) 2012 wage index review process, and providers with pension plans should take particular note of changes to their allowable pension costs. Some providers were undoubtedly surprised to discover that their intermediaries or Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) considered their pension plans to be overfunded at the close of 2008, the worst year for stock market performance since the Great Depression. This is the curious outcome of a change that CMS implemented in March of 2008 with Transmittal 436PR1 [PDF].
Click to continue...Attestation System for Medicare EHR Incentive Program Opens on April 18, 2011
By: Sarah E. Swank
Under Medicare Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program, eligible professionals, hospitals and critical access hospitals that demonstrate meaningful use of certified EHR technology will receive incentive payments from Medicare. The Medicare EHR Incentive Program begins April 18, 2011. Providers must attest to meaningful use through the CMS Web-based Medicare and Medicaid EHR Programs Registration and Attestation System to receive Medicare EHR incentive payments. Providers can preview snapshots [PDF] of the system to see what the attestation process is expected to involve. These snapshots are examples of the system, and CMS may make changes to the final system.
Click to continue...Medicare Enrollment Application Fees
By: Donna J. Senft
CMS is issuing guidance to implement the March 25, 2011 Medicare and Medicaid enrollment regulation changes that were highlighted in a prior Payment Matters article, “Increased Scrutiny to Obtain and Maintain Medicare and Medicaid Enrollment – Final Regulations Published.” Specific guidance for paying the Medicare enrollment application fee was including in Transmittal 371 [PDF], which updates Chapter 15 of the Medicare Program Integrity Manual, and the associated MLN Matters [PDF] article.
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