Glossary

The first adjudication made by a carrier or fiscal intermediary (FI) (i.e., the affiliated contractor) following a request for Medicare payment or the first determination made by a PRO either in a prepayment or postpayment context.

Review, pre- or postpayment, that requires the intervention of PSC personnel.

An organization, chaired and hosted by the American Medical Association, that maintains the HCFA-1500 claim form and a set of data element specifications for professional claims submission via the HCFA-1500 claim form, the Professional EMC NSF, and the X12 837. The NUCC also maintains the Provider Taxonomy Codes and has a formal consultative role under HIPAA for all transactions affecting non-dental non-institutional professional health care services.

Using information on a claim or other information requested to support the services billed, to make a determination.

Certain computer systems currently used by carriers and FIs to process Medicare claims. For physician and lab claims, the system is Electronic Data Systems (EDS); for facility and other Part A provider claims, the system is the Fiscal Intermediary Standard System (FISS), formerly known as the Florida Shared System (FSS); and for supplier claims, the system is the Viable Information Processing System (VIPS).

A claim submitted for a service or supply by a provider who does not accept assignment.

An organization that developed the initial HCFA-1500 Professional Claim Form. The maintenance responsibilities were later assumed by the NUCC.