News - NGSMEDICARE

Posting Date: 05/13/2025

Register Now and Join Us!

Register Now and Join Us! June 3-5, 2025 There's still time to register for the 2025 Spring Part B Virtual Conference. Immerse yourself in expert-led sessions designed to transform compliance understa...

Posting Date: 05/08/2025

Telehealth for Hospice Face-to-Face Recertification Extended Through September 30, 2025

Telehealth for Hospice Face-to-Face Recertification Extended Through September 30, 2025 Hospice physicians and nurse practitioners may continue to conduct the face-to-face encounter required for recer...

Posting Date: 05/08/2025

MLN Connects® Newsletter: May 8, 2025

MLN Connects® Newsletter: May 8, 2025 News Direct Graduate Medical Education: Get Annual Update Factors Compliance Walkers: Prevent Claim Denials Events HCPCS Public Meeting — June 2–3 Medicare Adviso...

Posting Date: 05/08/2025

Telehealth & Remote Patient Monitoring Updates

Telehealth & Remote Patient Monitoring Updates The CMS MLN Booklet® Telehealth & Remote Patient Monitoring has been updated with important information effective 10/1/2025. Posted 5/8/2025

Posting Date: 05/07/2025

A/B and DME Collaborative YouTube Video

A/B and DME Collaborative YouTube Video The A/B DME MACs are offering a YouTube video on Urological Supplies. This DME video tutorial provides information about urological supply requirements. Posted ...

Posting Date: 05/02/2025

Provider Enrollment: Resources from NGSMedicare.com to Streamline the CMS-855A Application Process

Provider Enrollment: Resources from NGSMedicare.com to Streamline the CMS-855A Application Process To eliminate the need for additional information requests, NGS offers a variety of provider enrollmen...

Posting Date: 05/02/2025

Portable X-Ray Cost Analysis Survey

Portable X-Ray Cost Analysis Survey NGS, in collaboration with other MACs, has launched a crucial initiative to assess and update transportation allowances for portable X-ray services, as mandated by ...

Posting Date: 05/02/2025

Changes to the Written General Inquiries Process at National Government Services, Inc.

Changes to the Written General Inquiries Process at National Government Services, Inc. Effective 5/27/2025, NGS will no longer accept inquiries submitted through the postal service to any of our P.O. ...

Posting Date: 05/02/2025

MLN Connects® Newsletter: May 1, 2025

MLN Connects® Newsletter: May 1, 2025 News Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule Preliminary Gapfill Rates: Submit Comments by June 28 Compliance Acute Care Hospital Outpatient Services for Hospice Enrolle...

Posting Date: 05/02/2025

2024 Medicare Cost Report Due Dates

2024 Medicare Cost Report Due Dates FYE 12/31/2024 cost reports are due by 6/2/2025. We strongly encourage early filing of the cost report. Early-filed cost reports that are rejected will receive a gr...

Posting Date: 04/30/2025

Helping Your Patients Stop Smoking

Helping Your Patients Stop Smoking Quitting Tobacco – Slips and Relapses Quitting smoking has health benefits at any age, no matter how long or how much you have smoked. If you slip or relapse, don’t ...

Posting Date: 04/30/2025

Provider Enrollment: NGSMedicare.com Resources to Streamline CMS Enrollment Form Process

Provider Enrollment: NGSMedicare.com Resources to Streamline CMS Enrollment Form Process To eliminate the need for additional information requests, NGS offers a variety of provider enrollment resource...

Posting Date: 04/29/2025

Register Now for the Spring 2025 Virtual Conference

Register Now for the Spring 2025 Virtual Conference Don’t miss the opportunity to register for the 2025 Spring Part B Virtual Conference: Understanding Medicare Compliance for Part B Providers! Enhanc...

Posting Date: 04/24/2025

MLN Connects® Newsletter: April 24, 2025

MLN Connects® Newsletter: April 24, 2025 News Open Payments: Review Your Data by May 15 Medicare Shared Savings Program: Application Toolkit Materials MLN Matters® Articles Inpatient Psychiatric Facil...

Posting Date: 04/22/2025

Four Reasons Patients Fear Quitting Tobacco

Four Reasons Patients Fear Quitting Tobacco Stress: If you rely on cigarettes to loosen up during your day, you might worry about losing this release valve. It’s essential to remember that using nicot...

Posting Date: 04/21/2025

Revised and Updated Educational Frequently Asked Questions

Revised and Updated Educational Frequently Asked Questions Our educational FAQs have been updated. Please visit the Help and FAQs page under the Education section of our website to explore topics such...

Posting Date: 04/18/2025

Update-CMS Delay of Skin Substitutes Effective Date

Update-CMS Delay of Skin Substitutes Effective Date As part of the transition to a new Administration, CMS is reviewing its coverage policies for skin substitute products. CMS believes it is important...

Posting Date: 04/17/2025

New P.O. Boxes for Part B Claim Submitters in Connecticut and New York (Upstate Counties and Queens)

New P.O. Boxes for Part B Claim Submitters in Connecticut and New York (Upstate Counties and Queens) Effective 5/19/2025, National Government Services (NGS) is closing the following Paper Claim Submis...

Posting Date: 04/17/2025

MLN Connects® Newsletter: April 17, 2025

MLN Connects® Newsletter: April 17, 2025 News Clotting Factors: Medicare Part B Pays for Alhemo & Qfitlia Skilled Nursing Facilities: Revalidation Deadline Extended to August 1 Raise Awareness & Under...

Posting Date: 04/15/2025

Part B Spring 2025 Virtual Conference: Register Now

Register Now! Register now for the 2025 Spring Part B Virtual Conference: Understanding Medicare Compliance for Part B Providers happening on June 3–5,2025. This event will offer innovative ideas and ...

Posting Date: 04/15/2025

Collaborative Surgical Dressings Webinar Coming May 6, 2025

Collaborative Surgical Dressings Webinar Coming May 6, 2025 This is your opportunity to hear directly from the Medicare contractors regarding Medicare’s criteria necessary for the coverage of surgical...

Posting Date: 04/14/2025

MLN Connects® Newsletter: April 14, 2025

MLN Connects® Newsletter: April 14, 2025 FY 2026 Proposed Payment Rules CMS Seeks Public Input on Inpatient Hospital Whole-Person Care, Proposes Updates to Medicare Payments Inpatient Rehabilitation F...

Posting Date: 04/14/2025

Get Access to Keep Provider Enrollment Records Up To Date with Medicare

Get Access to Keep Provider Enrollment Records Up To Date with Medicare If you need to manage Medicare enrollment information for an individual provider or entity electronically through PECOS, you mus...

Posting Date: 04/11/2025

MLN Connects® Newsletter: April 11, 2025

MLN Connects® Newsletter: April 11, 2025 News Dr. Mehmet Oz Shares Vision for CMS Skilled Nursing Facility Value-Based Purchasing Program: March 2025 Confidential Feedback Reports Skilled Nursing Faci...

Posting Date: 04/11/2025

National A/B MAC Ambulance Provider/Supplier Coalition Meeting Invite

National A/B MAC Ambulance Provider/Supplier Coalition Meeting Invite Attention Ambulance Suppliers and Providers Join the first virtual National A/B MAC Ambulance Provider/Supplier Coalition meeting ...

Posting Date: 04/10/2025

Prohibition of AI Assistant Usage for Recording Medicare Sessions

Prohibition of AI Assistant Usage for Recording Medicare Sessions National Government Services has observed a rise in attempts to use various AI assistants during NGS-hosted sessions. It is important ...

Posting Date: 04/10/2025

Benefits of Quitting Tobacco

Benefits of Quitting Tobacco Quitting tobacco use in any form is one of the most important actions people can take to improve their health. This is true regardless of their age or how long they have b...

Posting Date: 04/09/2025

Part A Top Reason Code changes

Part A Top Reason Code changes National Government Services, Inc. updates the Top Claim Errors on our website each quarter to ensure our Part A providers have the latest information on top claim error...

Posting Date: 04/08/2025

Upcoming Annual Logon ID Recertification for Minnesota Region

Upcoming Annual Logon ID Recertification for Minnesota Region All users who access the FISS DDE system are required by the CMS to recertify their access annually. National Government Services will des...

Posting Date: 04/08/2025

[URGENT] NGSConnex Experiencing Intermittent Issues

NGSConnex Experiencing Intermittent Issues We are experiencing intermittent outages with NGSConnex. This is impacting Part A providers only. In some cases when a provider account is selected to perfor...

Posting Date: 04/08/2025

New Version of PC-ACE: April 2025

New Version of PC-ACE: April 2025 PC-ACE Version 6.6 contains several CMS mandates and product enhancements including but not limited to the items listed below. 13891 – Implement Operating Rules – Pha...

Posting Date: 04/07/2025

Social Security Income Ratios

Social Security Income Ratios The federal fiscal year 2023 SSI ratios for IPPS hospitals, IRF and LTCH were posted on the CMS website. IPPS IRF LTCH NGS will update the latest published 2023 SSI ratio...

Posting Date: 04/04/2025

Top J6 Part B Claim Errors are Available

Top J6 Part B Claim Errors are Available We conduct a comprehensive data analysis on a quarterly basis to update and disseminate the latest insights on the most common claim errors. This initiative pr...

Posting Date: 04/04/2025

MLN Connects® Newsletter: April 3, 2025

MLN Connects® Newsletter: April 3, 2025 News Home Infusion Therapy & Intravenous Immune Globulin Services: Get Monitoring Reports Medicare Providers & Suppliers: Report Managing Employees External Use...

Posting Date: 04/01/2025

Provider Contact Center – Make the Most of Your Call

Provider Contact Center – Make the Most of Your Call As of 5/1/2025, the Provider Contact Center (PCC) will service one PTAN/NPI combination per call. Before calling the PCC, make the most of your cal...

Posting Date: 03/31/2025

National Government Services Medicare Part B Redetermination Notice Initiative Is Here

National Government Services Medicare Part B Redetermination Notice Initiative Is Here As previously announced, National Government Services is pleased to announce we are discontinuing issuing paper M...

Posting Date: 03/31/2025

[RESOLVED] NGS Phone Lines Currently Unavailable

[RESOLVED] NGS Phone Lines Experiencing Outages The outages we were experiencing with our Provider Contact Center telephone lines have now been resolved. This includes EDI, Provider Enrollment Custome...

Posting Date: 03/28/2025

MLN Connects® Newsletter: March 27, 2025

MLN Connects® Newsletter: March 27, 2025 News Extension of Medicare Provisions Final National Coverage Determination: Transcatheter Tricuspid Valve Replacement Nutrition-Related Health Conditions: Rec...

Posting Date: 03/27/2025

Top JK Part B Claim Errors are Available

Top JK Part B Claim Errors are Available We conduct a comprehensive data analysis on a quarterly basis to update and disseminate the latest insights on the most common claim errors. This initiative pr...

Posting Date: 03/27/2025

Ensure Accurate Provider Enrollment Information on File

Ensure Accurate Provider Enrollment Information on File ATTENTION: Claims and Provider Enrollment Verify that accurate provider enrollment information is on file with Medicare. Are you familiar with t...

Posting Date: 03/26/2025

MLN Connects® Newsletter: March 25, 2025

MLN Connects® Newsletter: March 25, 2025 News ESRD: Payment for Phosphate Binders Effective January 1, 2025 Hospitals: Apply for Additional Residency Positions by March 31 Skilled Nursing Facilities: ...

Posting Date: 03/24/2025

Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program 2025 Changes

Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program 2025 Changes The MDPP Expanded Model is intended to prevent Medicare beneficiaries with an indication of prediabetes from developing diabetes. Prevention of diabet...

Posting Date: 03/20/2025

Safeguard Your Finances: Know Your Provider Enrollment Revalidation

Safeguard Your Finances: Know Your Provider Enrollment Revalidation Attention: Provider Enrollment and Credentialing Teams Ensure you revalidate before your deadline to prevent a "Stay of Enrollment"...

Posting Date: 03/20/2025

Common Tobacco Withdrawal Symptoms

Common Tobacco Withdrawal Symptoms Trying to quit tobacco use feels different for each person, but almost everyone will have some symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. When stopped, the body and brain must...

Posting Date: 03/19/2025

Safeguard Your Finances: Know Your Provider Enrollment Revalidation

Safeguard Your Finances: Know Your Provider Enrollment Revalidation Attention: Provider Enrollment and Credentialing Teams Ensure you revalidate before your deadline to prevent a "Stay of Enrollment" ...

Posting Date: 03/17/2025

Provider Enrollment: Top Reasons Behind Delays in Processing the Application

Provider Enrollment: Top Reasons Behind Delays in Processing the Application Medicare enrollment plays a vital role in ensuring compliance with CMS requirements. To help streamline the process and ach...

Posting Date: 03/17/2025

Fiscal Intermediary Standard System Direct Data Entry Screen Changes – April 2025

Fiscal Intermediary Standard System Direct Data Entry Screen Changes – April 2025 The April 2025 quarterly system release will update FISS DDE as described below: Inquiries Submenu (01) Option 1C (CMH...

Posting Date: 03/17/2025

Tobacco Cessation and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Tobacco Cessation and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy CBT is a type of psychotherapy that’s problem oriented. It may help your patients learn how to change unhelpful or unhealthy ways of thinking, feelin...

Posting Date: 03/17/2025

Provider Enrollment: Top Reasons Behind Delays in Processing the Application

Provider Enrollment: Top Reasons Behind Delays in Processing the Application Medicare enrollment plays a vital role in ensuring compliance with CMS requirements. To help streamline the process and ach...

Posting Date: 03/17/2025

MCReF Hospice Cap Functionality

MCReF Hospice Cap Functionality Attention Hospice providers: The new MCReF Hospice Cap functionality will be covered in the upcoming MCReF Webinar scheduled for 3/19/2025, from 1:00 – 3:00PM ET. The ...

Posting Date: 03/14/2025

MLN Connects® Newsletter: March 13, 2025

MLN Connects® Newsletter: March 13, 2025 News Medicare Shared Savings Program: Application Deadlines for January 1, 2026, Start Date Claims, Pricers & Codes ICD-10 Coordination & Maintenance Committee...

Posting Date: 03/10/2025

Medicare Part B Redetermination Notice Initiative Coming Soon

Medicare Part B Redetermination Notice Initiative Coming Soon National Government Services will discontinue issuing paper MRNs for Medicare Part B redetermination requests that are submitted electroni...

Posting Date: 03/10/2025

April 2025 EDI Front End Quarterly Release

April 2025 EDI Front End Quarterly Release Please be advised that while the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services mandated release for April 2025 was installed the weekend of 4/6/2025, the code set...

Posting Date: 03/07/2025

MLN Connects® Newsletter: March 6, 2025

MLN Connects® Newsletter: March 6, 2025 News Therapy Services: Get Updates for CY 2025 Hospitals: Apply for Additional Residency Positions by March 31 Compliance Oral Anticancer & Antiemetic Drugs: Pr...

Posting Date: 03/07/2025

Save the Date! National A/B MAC Ambulance Provider/Supplier Coalition

Save the Date! National A/B MAC Ambulance Provider/Supplier Coalition Attention Ambulance Providers As the MACs celebrate and honor the dedication and contributions to healthcare made by those who pro...

Posting Date: 03/04/2025

New Medicare Part B Redetermination Notice Initiative – Implementation Delayed

New Medicare Part B Redetermination Notice Initiative - Implementation Delayed As we’ve communicated recently, National Government Services will be starting a new initiative for providers who submit M...

Posting Date: 03/03/2025

MLN Connects® Newsletter: February 28, 2025

MLN Connects® Newsletter: February 28, 2025 CMS Provider Education Message: Hospitals: Actions to Make Healthcare Prices Transparent Update: On February 25, the White House issued an Executive Order t...

Posting Date: 02/27/2025

National Correct Coding Initiative

National Correct Coding Initiative We recently introduced the NCCI Lookup Tool on our Part B Tools and Calculators page. This tool is designed to assist providers in identifying codes subject to autom...

Posting Date: 02/25/2025

MLN Connects® Newsletter: February 24, 2025

MLN Connects® Newsletter: February 24, 2025 Compliance Mechanical Ventilation: Bill Correctly for Inpatient Claims Claims, Pricers, & Codes Discarded Drugs & Biologicals: Orphan Drugs with Increased A...

Posting Date: 02/24/2025

Reminder: New Medicare Part B Redetermination Notice Initiative

Reminder: New Medicare Part B Redetermination Notice Initiative Beginning 3/3/2025, NGS will only issue electronic versions of the MRN when a Medicare Part B Redetermination request is electronically ...

Posting Date: 02/24/2025

Important Update for Part B Providers – New NCCI Lookup Tool

Important Update for Part B Providers – New NCCI Lookup Tool The Medicare NCCI promotes accurate coding and prevents improper payments. We have added the NCCI Lookup Tool to our Part B Tools and Calcu...

Posting Date: 02/21/2025

Local Coverage Determination Open Meeting

Local Coverage Determination Open Meeting National Government Services is hosting a Local Coverage Determination Open Meeting on 3/13/2025. Details are available by accessing the Local Coverage Determ...

Posting Date: 02/21/2025

Common Working File Host Dark Days for April 2025 Release

Common Working File Host Dark Days for April 2025 Release For Production, CWF will be observing the Gray Day on Thursday, April 3rd, and Dark Days starting Friday, April 4th through Sunday, April 6th ...

Posting Date: 02/17/2025

Reminder: New Medicare Part B Redetermination Notice Initiative

Reminder: New Medicare Part B Redetermination Notice Initiative As we’ve communicated, National Government Services is transitioning to electronic notifications for Part B Medicare Redetermination dec...

Posting Date: 02/17/2025

Collaborative Urological Supplies Webinar Coming 3/27/2025

Collaborative Urological Supplies Webinar Coming 3/27/2025 This is your opportunity to hear directly from the Medicare contractors regarding Medicare’s criteria necessary for the coverage of urologica...

Posting Date: 02/14/2025

MLN Connects® Newsletter: February 14, 2025

MLN Connects® Newsletter: February 14, 2025 News Complex Non-Chemotherapeutic Drug Administration: Determining Payment for Services Claims, Pricers, & Codes Ambulance Fee Schedule: CY 2025 Inflation F...

Posting Date: 02/13/2025

Tobacco Cessation Counseling Doesn’t Have To Be Lengthy or Intimidating

Tobacco Cessation Counseling Doesn’t Have To Be Lengthy or Intimidating Did you know that tobacco cessation counseling is a covered Medicare service? Brief tobacco counseling provides substantial heal...

Posting Date: 02/13/2025

[RESOLVED] Medicare Claim Process System Experiencing Outages

[RESOLVED] Medicare Claim Process System Experiencing Outages We were experiencing outages with our IVR and NGSConnex claim status functionality. Technical support was engaged and the issue is now res...

Posting Date: 02/10/2025

Reminder: New Medicare Part B Redetermination Notice Initiative

Reminder: New Medicare Part B Redetermination Notice Initiative As a reminder, beginning 3/3/2025, National Government Services will only issue electronic versions of the MRN when a Medicare Part B Re...

Posting Date: 02/10/2025

Medicare Advantage Information For Part A and Part B Not Offered on the IVR Beginning 3/14/2025

Medicare Advantage Information For Part A and Part B Not Offered on the IVR Beginning 3/14/2025 Effective the evening of 3/14/2025, the Medicare IVR system will no longer provide information regarding...

Posting Date: 02/10/2025

Global Period Services - HCPCS Code G0559

Global Period Services - HCPCS Code G0559 As of 1/1/2025, CMS has implemented HCPCS Code G0559 to capture work performed by a provider other than the performing surgeon during the global period associ...

Posting Date: 02/06/2025

NGSMedicare.com Scheduled Maintenance on Sunday, 2/9/2025

NGSMedicare.com Scheduled Maintenance on Sunday, 2/9/2025 We will experience intermittent outages with NGSMedicare.com on Sunday, 2/9/2025 due to maintenance. NGSMedicare.com will be fully operational...

Posting Date: 02/03/2025

Medicare Part B Independent Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapy Providers

Medicare Part B Independent Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapy Providers National Government Services is addressing providers who frequently submit clerical error reopenings to add the KX modif...

Posting Date: 02/03/2025

New Medicare Part B Redetermination Notice Initiative

New Medicare Part B Redetermination Notice Initiative As we’ve communicated, beginning 3/3/2025, National Government Services will only issue electronic versions of the MRN when a Medicare Part B Rede...

Posting Date: 02/03/2025

2025 Gapfill Request

2025 Gapfill Request National Government Services, the MAC for JK and J6 is in receipt of the new laboratory test codes identified by the CMS to be gap-fill priced for 2025. The PAMA regulations instr...