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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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, [...]

[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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Scribes

Scribes When a physician or NPP performs a service that is documented by a scribe, what are the documentation requirements? Answer: As per CMS IOM Publication 100-08, Medicare Program Integrity Manual, Chapter 3, Section 3.3.2.4: “CMS [...]

Provider Specialty

Provider Specialty Should each MD in the same practice bill with two different taxonomy codes based on whether functioning as a cardiologist or electrophysiologist? Answer: Yes, providers should be billing with their taxonomy codes. The [...]

Prolonged Services

Prolonged Services Note: View the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Internet-Only Manual (IOM) Publication 100-04, Medicare Claims Processing Manual, Chapter 12, Section 30.6.15.2 and Section 30.6.15.3 for CPT codes [...]

Preoperative Clearance

Preoperative Clearance What requirements must be met for a preoperative clearance visit to be considered medically necessary and billable? Answer: CMS does not set requirements for medical clearance; these are established by individual [...]

Nonphysician Practitioner Services

Nonphysician Practitioner Services In addition to the frequently asked questions below, please view NGS’ Nonphysician Practitioners-Reducing Costly Appeals; Increase Provider Revenue article for related information. Is it permissible for [...]

New vs. Established Patients

New vs. Established Patients How does CMS define a patient as “new” versus “established”? Answer: In 2023, the definition of a “new” patient differs based on whether the patient is being treated in an office or an observation/ inpatient [...]

Medical Decision Making

Medical Decision Making In a split/shared service, when a medical record includes a plan of care developed by the physician, based on a history and/or examination performed by the NPP and a personal review of diagnostic findings, [...]

IPPE and AWV Services

IPPE and AWV Providers are reminded that the IPPE and AWV are Medicare-covered services within their own benefit category. As such, they are not subject to standard “incident to” billing guidelines and must be billed by the performing [...]

History

As of 1/1/2023, CMS has eliminated prior specifications for documentation of a patient’s history for services provided in both the outpatient office and hospital setting, including the emergency department. The provider is expected to obtain [...]

The National Correct Coding Initiative and Medically Unlikely Edits for Part B Providers

This webinar will assist Part B providers with navigating tables for the National Correct Coding Initiative and the medically unlikely edits. We'll also review the proper modifiers to use to avoid denials. There will be time for your [...]

General E/M Information

General E/M Information Please explain the terms “auxiliary personnel” and “clinical staff” in the context of Medicare services.   Answer: These terms are often used in defining which staff members can perform Medicare services [...]

Fee-For-Time Compensation Arrangements

Fee-For-Time Compensation Arrangements Can a physician return to work in his or her practice for a short period of time to reset the 60-day clock requirement for the fee-for-time compensation arrangement provider? Answer: In order for the [...]

Critical Care Services

Critical Care Services Please define the time requirement for billing CPT code 99292. Answer: Whether critical care is performed by a single provider or on a split (or shared) basis, the time requirement for CPT code 99292 remains the [...]

Examination

As of 1/1/2023, CMS has eliminated prior specifications for the scope of examination and associated documentation in the outpatient office and hospital settings. The provider is expected to perform and document a medically necessary and [...]

Documentation

Documentation What are the basic documentation requirements for a service submitted to Medicare for payment? Answer: For all services submitted to Medicare, the medical record (whether electronic or paper) must clearly define the provider [...]

Complex and Chronic Care - HCPCS Code G2211

Complex and Chronic Care - HCPCS Code G2211 Please define appropriate usage and billing for HCPCS code G2211. Answer: CPT G2211 is an approved add-on code representing complex and/or continuous management in the office and outpatient [...]

Chronic Care Management

Chronic Care Management The guidelines state moderate or high complex MDM. Do the E/M guidelines apply here? Answer: Yes, the E/M guidelines for MDM are applicable, since chronic care management (CPT 99490) is included within the E/M [...]

Advanced Care Planning

Advanced Care Planning Please define documentation requirements when billing advanced care planning (CPT 99497 and 99498). Answer: ACP codes may be used with or without a base E/M code on the same date of service, based on whether a [...]

Admission and Discharge Services

Admission and Discharge Services Is it permissible for an NPP to perform an initial hospital admission or discharge service on behalf of the attending physician, or on a split/shared basis, when both are members of the same provider [...]

Teaching Environment E/M Services

Teaching Environment E/M Services Please define levels of care for E/M services that can be performed by residents in a hospital outpatient setting under the PCE rules. Answer: CMS PCE guidelines for the hospital outpatient setting permit [...]

Observation Services

Observation Services Please define guidelines for providers billing observation services. Answer: Observation services are ordered, performed and billed by the practitioner (or group), who is responsible for the patient’s care during the [...]

Split/Shared and Incident To Services

Split/Shared and Incident To Services Please define the substantive portion of a split (or shared) visit. Answer: The following factors apply in determining the substantive portion of a split (or shared) visit:   Total time [...]

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 as: ASCA Appeals CAR T-cell Therapy [...]

Global Period Services

Global Period Services Is it permissible for providers (physicians or NPPs) other than the primary surgeon to bill for preoperative or postoperative care within a global period? Answer: The global surgery fee is paid to the primary [...]

Emergency Department

Emergency Department When a consultant has seen a patient in the ED and billed an ED code, how are subsequent services billed when the patient is then admitted to inpatient status? Answer: The ED consult (billed with an ED code [...]

Behavioral/Mental Health Services

Behavioral/Mental Health Services Please explain the parameters for mental health services delivered via telehealth to a beneficiary who is at home. Answer: As of 1/1/2025, CMS has permanently extended permission for behavioral and mental [...]

Consultations

Consultations Does CMS permit payment for consultative E/M services? Answer: CMS permits payment for medically necessary consultative E/M services. The specific E/M codes previously used to represent consultative services were [...]

PC-ACE: Is there a resource I can use to assist me with Medicare Secondary Payer (MSP) claims when using PC-ACE?

DDE: I tried to access my claim through the FISS/DDE system and it will not let me pull it up. What is the problem?