Medicare Transition to Noridian on MONDAY! We are just days away from the September 16 cutover date from Palmetto to the new Medicare Part B fee-for-service contractor, Noridian. Although efforts have been made to minimize the burden to practices and to ensure that physicians continue to receive their Medicare payments in a timely fashion after the transition, there are a number of things physicians should be aware of, including: Last Day to Submit to Palmetto: September 11, 2013, is the last day providers may submit electronic claims to Palmetto (2:00pm cutoff time), and the last day ... September 10, 2013 Medicare, Noridian Medicare, Noridian 0 0 Comment Read More »
Incarcerated Beneficiary Recoveries From Providers In June and July 2013, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) initiated recoveries from providers and suppliers based on data that indicated a beneficiary was incarcerated on the date of service. Medicare identified previously paid claims that contained a date of service partially or fully overlapping a period when a beneficiary was apparently incarcerated based on information CMS receives from the Social Security Administration (SSA). As a result, a large number of overpayments were identified and overpayment (demand) letters sent. CMS has since learned ... September 5, 2013 Medicare Medicare 0 0 Comment Read More »
HIPAA Omnibus Rule Compliance FAQs On January 25, 2013, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services published new regulations that made significant changes to the privacy and security requirements under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). These new regulations, known as the HIPAA Omnibus Final Rule, implement many of the key provisions of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) Act of 2009. Covered entities and their business associates have until September 23, 2013, to comply with the new rule. CMA's "HIPAA Omnibus Rule Compliance FAQs" answers most ... September 5, 2013 HIPAA HIPAA 0 0 Comment Read More »
Continuing Nationwide Shortage of Tuberculin Skin Testing (TST) Antigen August 28, 2013 This CAHAN is intended to assist local providers in screening for tuberculosis (TB) during the ongoing shortage of TST antigen products licensed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has informed health departments that TUBERSOL® (Sanofi Pasteur Limited) will not be produced at normal levels until “sometime in the fall, perhaps October” (1). The alternative TST antigen product, APLISOL® (JHP Pharmaceuticals), is only available in extremely restricted quantity and remains on allocation for all providers. Based on these shortages, the ... September 5, 2013 Public Health TB 0 0 Comment Read More »
Medicare Transition on September 16, 2013! September 16, 2013, is the cutover date for transition of the Medicare Part B fee-for-service contractor from Palmetto GBA to Noridian. Although every effort has been made to minimize the burden to practices and to ensure that physicians continue to receive their Medicare payments in a timely fashion after transition, physician practices will have to make some changes in their processes, including but not limited to: Electronic claim submitters must change the Contractor ID (Payor ID) on their transmissions. The new ID for Northern California jurisdiction ... September 5, 2013 Medicare, Noridian Medicare, Noridian, Palmetto GBA 0 0 Comment Read More »
ICD-10 Transition: Are You Prepared? On October 1, 2014, the ICD-9 code sets used to report medical diagnoses and inpatient procedures will be replaced by ICD-10 codes sets. Following are the top 10 questions physicians should be asking themselves about the ICD-10 transition: Do I have an ICD-10 implementation plan? Do I have an ICD-10 implementation champion / person-in-charge in my office? Has my ICD-10 champion signed up for one of the two SDCMS orientation sessions being held on September 18 and 19? ... September 4, 2013 ICD-10 ICD-10 0 0 Comment Read More »
Medicare Transition Is One Month Away! September 16, 2013, is the cutover date for transition of the Medicare Part B fee-for-service contractor from Palmetto GBA to Noridian. Although every effort has been made to minimize the burden to practices and to ensure that physicians continue to receive their Medicare payments in a timely fashion after transition, physician practices will have to make some changes in their processes, including but not limited to: Electronic Claim Submitters Must Change the Contractor ID (Payor ID) on Their Transmissions: The new ID for Northern California jurisdiction ... August 16, 2013 Medicare Medicare 0 0 Comment Read More »
Help With Getting Your EHR Incentive Payment Knowledgeable staff will be onsite to assist primary care providers and office staff to complete the meaningful use attestation — FREE OF CHARGE. Sign up early so we can help you prepare the required materials.* WHEN: Tuesday, September 17, 2013, 6:00am – 9:00pm • BY APPOINTMENT ONLY WHERE: San Diego County Medical Society, 5575 Ruffin Road, Suite 250, San Diego CA 92123 *REQUIREMENTS: Family Practice, General Medicine, Internal Medicine, OB/GYN, Pediatrics, and Primary Care CMS EHR Incentive Program Registration Prior to September 10, 2013 ... August 9, 2013 Meaningful Use Meaningful Use 0 0 Comment Read More »
Invasive Meningococcal Disease (IMD) in San Diego County in 2013 Date: August 9, 2013 Thirteen (13) San Diego County residents have been diagnosed with confirmed or probable Invasive Meningococcal Disease (IMD) during the first seven months of this year. Nine confirmed cases were culture-positive for Neisseria meningitidis. Four probable cases had clinical disease and positive PCR testing for N. meningitidis after no culture growth. Since 2003, the number of confirmed or probable IMD cases reported annually among San Diego County residents ranged from 4 to 19, with an average of 12. Recent IMD cases emphasize the need for both clinicians and laboratories to report suspect ... August 9, 2013 Public Health Invasive Meningococcal Disease 0 0 Comment Read More »
Nurse Practitioner Bill Fails in Committee On behalf of the California Medical Association (CMA) and the Coalition for Patient Access and Quality Care, CMA President Paul R. Phinney, MD, issued the following statement after SB 491 failed to pass out of the Assembly Committee on Business, Professions, and Consumer Protection: “The 37,000 members of CMA and the dozens of groups aligned in the Coalition for Patient Access and Quality Care applaud the members of the Assembly Committee on Business, Professions, and Consumer Protection for their work today. SB 491 would have allowed nurse practitioners to practice ... August 6, 2013 Scope of Practice Scope of Practice 0 0 Comment Read More »