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Tags Posts tagged with "MAC"

MAC

Novitas Solutions, the Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) for Pennsylvania, will be conducting a three-day Medicare Compliance Matters Virtual Symposium. The symposium is free of charge and will be conducted September 17 – September 19. It will offer 44 webinars that include essential information, updates, and key information on Medicare compliance.

Members who are Medicare-certified providers are encouraged to review the agenda and register for sessions that you would benefit from. The full agenda and registration information is available here.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a Request for Information (RFI) to obtain feedback from both the industry and the public about the potential consolidation of four Medicare Administrative Contractors (MAC) jurisdictions into two jurisdictions, as well as to obtain feedback on extending MAC contracts to ten years.

MACs are private health care insurers that have been awarded a geographic jurisdiction to process Medicare Part A and Part B medical claims or Durable Medical Equipment (DME) claims for people with Traditional fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare. Information on the role of MACs can be found here.

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Novitas Solutions, Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) for Pennsylvania, continues to release inpatient rehabilitation facility review choice demonstration (IRF RCD) program updates, resources, upcoming educational opportunities, and important deadlines as IRFs in PA go through this implementation process.

Included in their most recent updates is:

  • Updated Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
  • An upcoming educational opportunity
    IRF RCD: Cycle 1 Progress — October 2, 2024, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm
    Registration will be released soon and will be available here.

IRF RCD was initially implemented in Alabama in 2023, with the second round being implemented in Pennsylvania on June 17, 2024. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) created this process to ensure Medicare coverage and documentation requirements are likely met. This program reduces the number of Medicare appeals, improves provider compliance with Medicare program rules, does not alter the Medicare IRF benefit, and should not delay medically necessary care to Medicare beneficiaries.

Message from The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS):

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is continuing to monitor and assess the impact that the cyberattack on UnitedHealth Group’s subsidiary Change Healthcare has had on all provider and supplier types. Today, CMS is announcing that, in addition to considering applications for accelerated payments for Medicare Part A providers, we will also be considering applications for advance payments for Part B suppliers.

Over the last few days, we have continued to meet with health plans, providers and suppliers to hear about their most pressing concerns. As announced previously, we have directed our Medicare Administrative Contractors (MAC) to expedite actions needed for providers and suppliers to change the clearinghouse they use and to accept paper claims if providers need to use that method. We will continue to respond to provider and supplier inquiries regarding MAC processes.

CMS also recognizes that many Medicaid providers are deeply affected by the impact of the cyberattack. We are continuing to work closely with States and are urging Medicaid managed care plans to make prospective payments to impacted providers, as well.

All MACs will provide public information on how to submit a request for a Medicare accelerated or advance payment on their websites as early as today, Saturday, March 9.

CMS looks forward to continuing to support the provider community during this difficult situation. All affected providers should reach out to health plans and other payers for assistance with the disruption. CMS has encouraged Medicare Advantage (MA) organizations to offer advance funding to providers affected by this cyberattack. The rules governing CMS’s payments to MA organizations and Part D sponsors remain unchanged. Please note that nothing in this statement speaks to the arrangements between MA organizations or Part D sponsors and their contracted providers or facilities.


If you have any questions, please contact Fady Sahhar.

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On July 13, 2022, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) distributed notifications to inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs) that were determined to be out of compliance with Quality Reporting Program (QRP) requirements for calendar year (CY) 2021, which will affect their FY 2023 Annual Payment Update (APU). Non-compliance notifications were placed into facilities’ “Certification and Survey Provider Enhance Reports” (CASPER) folders in the Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (QIES) for hospice and skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), and into facilities’ “My Reports” folders in the Internet Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (iQIES) for IRFs and long-term care hospitals (LTCHs). If a facility received a letter of non-compliance, it may submit a request for reconsideration to CMS via email. The submission deadline is 11:59 pm on August 11, 2022. View the full details and instructions for submission here.

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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued revised Change Request (CR) 10531 (MLN Matters Number: 10531). The article, “Claims Processing Actions to Implement Certain Provisions of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018,” was revised and provides direction to Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) to reprocess claims related to several provisions of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018. The initial MLN article was released on March 26, 2018.

On February 9, 2018, Congress passed the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, which contains a number of provisions that extend certain Medicare Fee For Service (FFS) policies, including Ambulance add-on payment provisions and a three percent home health Rural Add-on Payment. In addition, the Act permanently repeals the outpatient therapy caps beginning on January 1, 2018, while retaining the requirement to submit the KX modifier for services in excess of the prior cap amounts. Due to the retroactive effective dates of these provisions, various Medicare FFS claims shall be reprocessed. This CR provides guidance to MACs regarding Medicare FFS claims reprocessing requirements and time frames.