56900

Avoiding/Correcting This Error This reason code can and should be prevented. When providers receive an ADR, respond according to the date listed in the ADR. Providers should start gathering the documentation being requested immediately. This [...]

56900

Avoiding/Correcting This Error Regularly access claims in status locations SB6001, SB6098, or SB6099 to obtain a listing of claims for which records have not yet been received by the MAC (Medical Review Department). Look for information on the [...]

56900

Avoiding/Correcting This Error Regularly access claims in status locations SB6001, SB6098, or SB6099 to obtain a listing of claims for which records have not yet been received by the MAC (Medical Review Department). Look for information on the [...]

5WEXC

Avoiding/Correcting This Error Ensure all Medicare coverage and medical necessity requirements are met prior to billing. When the provider determines that Medicare will not cover the services, consider submitting the charges as noncovered. [...]

56900

Avoiding/Correcting This Error This reason code can and should be prevented. When providers receive an ADR, respond according to the date listed in the ADR. Providers should start gathering the documentation being requested immediately. This [...]

5WEXC

Avoiding/Correcting This Error Ensure all Medicare coverage and medical necessity requirements are met prior to billing. When the provider determines that Medicare will not cover the services, consider submitting the charges as noncovered. [...]

Download PC Print

Download PC Print Please select from the two available versions of PC Print below. PC Print 7.1.5 PC Print 9.3.2 For the most current CARC/RARC code sets with full narrative and business scenarios, please download PC Print 9.3.2. and [...]

32243

Avoiding/Correcting This Error Review the claim and either update the charges or remove the line containing zero or blank charges. Return the claim for processing. 

32415

Avoiding/Correcting This Error Append the “A6” condition code to the claim and F9 or resubmit.  Related Content CMS Internet-Only Manual Publication 100-04, Medicare Claims Processing Manual, Chapter 18, Section [...]

31836

Avoiding/Correcting This Error Verify billing and, if appropriate, correct and resubmit the claim for payment. Related Content CMS PFS Look-up Tool Overview

31836

Avoiding/Correcting This Error Verify billing and, if appropriate, correct and resubmit the claim for payment. Related Content MLN® Booklet: How to Use the PFS Look-up Tool

Submitting a Medicare GME Affiliation Agreement

Submitting a Medicare GME Affiliation Agreement Table of Contents Submitting a Medicare GME Affiliation Agreement Jurisdiction K MAC (NGS) Jurisdiction 6 MAC (NGS) Submitting a Medicare GME Affiliation Agreement In [...]

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 errors including denials, return to provider, [...]

Stay of Enrollment

Stay of Enrollment The individual provider or authorized/delegated official of a group/facility agrees to adhere to all Medicare requirements when enrolling. CMS implemented a preliminary, interim status representing a pause in enrollment [...]

Stay of Enrollment

Stay of Enrollment The individual provider or authorized/delegated official of a group/facility agrees to adhere to all Medicare requirements when enrolling. CMS implemented a preliminary, interim status representing a pause in enrollment [...]

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 to note that the CMS has a longstanding [...]

NGSConnex: Claim Status and Details, Remittance Advice and Submitting General Inquiries

We aim to help providers maximize the benefits of NGSConnex, particularly in claims review. NGSConnex provides an in-depth view of claims submitted to and adjudicated by National Government Services. During this webinar, we’ll highlight its [...]

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 Facilities: Revalidation Deadline is May 1 [...]

Preventive Services: Initial Preventive Physical Examination and Annual Wellness Visit

Ensure that your patients obtain the wellness examinations they are eligible for by knowing the differences between the initial preventive physical examination and annual wellness visit. During this webinar, we'll review the coverage, [...]

Introduction to Medicare Part II

Join us for Introduction to Medicare Part II to enhance your understanding of Medicare Part B. Topics include Local Coverage Determinations, Claim Filing Guidelines, Preventive Services, Front Office Assistance, Medigap/Supplemental/Advantage [...]

Acute Care Hospitals Preparing Inpatient Claims: The Basics Part 1

This is part 1 of a 2-part webinar event (part 2 will be on 04/24/2025). In part 1, Acute Care Hospitals (ACH) will learn how to properly complete inpatient claims for submission to Medicare. We will review general inpatient ACH information [...]

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 User Services Help Desk: New [...]

Provisional Period of Enhanced Oversight for New Hospices

Provisional Period of Enhanced Oversight for New Hospices In recent years, CMS has reported a significant increase in fraudulent hospice billing practices, which cost the Medicare Program millions of dollars annually. The CMS has initiated a [...]

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 Facility Prospective Payment System [...]

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 broaden your expertise in Medicare [...]

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 must have authorized access. This access will [...]

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 during EMS Week: Thursday, 5/22/2025 from [...]

EDI Front End Clinical Edits

EDI Front End Clinical Edits EDI is continuing to implement EDI clinical business edits into the NGS EDI front end. These edits assist in proactively alerting providers of potential claim issues and provide resources to assist with avoiding [...]

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 dressings. Representatives from all four [...]

Counseling to Prevent Tobacco Use

In an effort to raise awareness and increase utilization of tobacco use counseling, we’ll focus on the effects of nicotine dependence including affected health consequences during this webinar. Medicare coverage, coding, billing and [...]

Counseling to Prevent Tobacco Use

In an effort to raise awareness and increase utilization of tobacco use counseling, we’ll focus on the effects of nicotine dependence including affected health consequences during this webinar. Medicare coverage, coding, billing and [...]

[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 perform a transaction such as ‘Eligibility [...]

Quarterly Top Ten Institutional EDI Edits

Quarterly Top Ten Institutional EDI Edits National Government Services EDI has identified the following top ten CEM edits that were received during Q1 2025 on the 277CA (Claims Acknowledgement) report for 837I 5010A1 formatted [...]

Quarterly Top Ten Part B EDI Edits

Quarterly Top Ten Part B EDI Edits National Government Services EDI has identified the following Top Ten CEM edits that were received during the Q1 2025 on the 277CA (Claims Acknowledgement) report for 837P 5010A1 formatted claims. The [...]

Termination of the Hospice Benefit Component of the VBID Model on 12/31/2024

Termination of the Hospice Benefit Component of the VBID Model on 12/31/2024 After carefully considering recent feedback about the increasing operational challenges of the Hospice Benefit Component and limited and decreasing participation [...]

Acute Care Hospitals Preparing Inpatient Claims: Taking a Deeper Dive Part 2

This is part 2 of a 2-part webinar event (part 1 will be held on 4/17/2025). In part 2, Acute Care Hospitals (ACH) will learn how to complete inpatient claims for submission to Medicare in a variety of situations. Topics include bill types, [...]

Medicare Part B Secondary Payer Post-Pay Overpayments

During this webinar, providers and office staff members will learn about the Medicare Part B overpayments and the appropriate steps for reporting Medicare Secondary Payer (MSP) overpayments. NGS MSP subject-matter experts will be on hand to [...]

Using the Medicare Coverage Database: How to Find Important Medicare Coverage Information

Are you responsible for looking up whether a service is covered in the Medicare Program at your facility but you're not sure where to look for the most relevant information? As a healthcare provider, you are responsible for understanding [...]

Medicare Secondary Payer: Let’s Chat About Preparing MSP and Conditional Claims

Were you unable to attend our Medicare Secondary Payer (MSP) and/or Conditional Billing webinars in January and February? Do you have questions about these topics? If so, join us for this "Let's Chat" session! You may ask questions [...]

Learn Over Lunch-NGSConnex Introduction

Are you considering utilizing NGSConnex and want to learn more about this portal? During this brief webinar, we will provide an overview of NGSConnex and all it has to offer.

MSP Right Hand

Helpful Resources BCRC Contact Information Note: Providers should not contact the BCRC to set up new MSP records. Instead, report MSP coding on your MSP and conditional claims. Providers should not contact the BCRC to correct MSP records to [...]

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 Submission P.O. Boxes:  P.O. Box 6185 [...]

Incarcerated or Unlawfully Present in the U.S. Claim Rejections (U538H, U538Q)

Incarcerated or Unlawfully Present in the U.S. Claim Rejections (U538H, U538Q) This stringent claim editing process helps ensure that Medicare does not make payments for services rendered to beneficiaries who are not eligible due to being [...]

Incarcerated or Unlawfully present in the US claim rejections (U538H, U538Q)

Incarcerated or Unlawfully Present in the U.S. Claim Rejections (U538H, U538Q) This stringent claim editing process helps ensure that Medicare does not make payments for services rendered to beneficiaries who are not eligible due to being [...]

34538

Avoiding/Correcting This Error To avoid this error: When submitting your Medicare primary claim, report the reason Medicare is primary using claim coding in Prevent an MSP Rejection on a Medicare Primary Claim. To correct this [...]

34538

Avoiding/Correcting This Error To avoid this error: When submitting your Medicare primary claim, report the reason Medicare is primary using claim coding in Prevent an MSP Rejection on a Medicare Primary Claim. To correct this [...]

34538

Avoiding/Correcting This Error To avoid this error: When submitting your Medicare primary claim, report the reason Medicare is primary using claim coding in Prevent an MSP Rejection on a Medicare Primary Claim. To correct this [...]

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 & Understanding of Alcohol Use and [...]

Reducing Unprocessable Claims

When claims are submitted with invalid, incomplete or incorrect information, our claims processing system will detect these errors and will reject claims as unprocessable. Our goal is to assist our providers in submitting claims correctly the [...]

National A/B Medicare Administrative Contractor Ambulance Provider/Supplier Coalition

National A/B Medicare Administrative Contractor Ambulance Provider/Supplier Coalition Attention Ambulance Providers In response to numerous and continued requests from the ambulance community, the AB MACs have put together a National AB MAC [...]

FQHC Example of a Per Visit Rate Calculation for MAO Supplemental Payments

National AB Medicare Administrative Contractor Ambulance Provider/Supplier Coalition

National AB Medicare Administrative Contractor Ambulance Provider/Supplier Coalition Attention Ambulance Providers In response to numerous and continued requests from the ambulance community, the AB MACs have put together a National AB MAC [...]

Urgent Care

Urgent Care Please explain the concepts of split/shared and incident to E/M services in the urgent care setting. Answer: The urgent care setting is defined by CMS as a nonfacility setting. This means the split/shared concept does not [...]

Transitional Care Management

Transitional Care Management Please clarify responsibility for the TCM interactive contact. Can this be performed by a hospital-employed nurse prior to discharge? Answer: The provider who is billing the TCM service is responsible for the [...]

Time-Based Services

Time-Based Services Please define rules for using time to level-set a service. Answer: In both the office and observation/inpatient setting, the provider’s time is calculated based on pre-visit, intra-visit, and post-visit activities [...]

Telehealth Services

Telehealth Services Please explain Medicare’s definition of a telehealth service. Answer: Medicare defines a telehealth service as a service provided by a Medicare-enrolled practitioner from an approved distant site for a beneficiary who [...]

Smoking Cessation

Smoking Cessation Please clarify appropriate codes for smoking cessation services. Answer: CPT codes 99406 and 99407 may be used for smoking and tobacco-use cessation counseling visits. Please clarify what constitutes a session which [...]

Skilled Nursing Facility Services

Skilled Nursing Facility Services Please define rules for initial and subsequent SNF services, when the same provider has treated the patient at another site on the same date of service. Answer: This depends on the site of the prior [...]

Separately Identifiable Service

Separately Identifiable Service Please define the appropriate use of modifier 57 to identify a separately payable E/M with an initial decision for surgery. Answer: Modifier 57 is added to an E/M service that resulted in an initial [...]