Thursday, April 22, 2021
- Dialysis Facilities: Partnership to Vaccinate Dialysis Patients and Health Care Personnel
- Chronic Care Management: Comparative Billing Report in April
- Preparedness Resources: Acute Care Delivery at Home
- National Minority Health Month
- Road to Equity: Examining Structural Racism in Health Care Virtual Forum — April 27-28
- Medicare Part A Cost Report: Easier File Uploads for e-Filing in MCReF Webcast — April 29
- Medicare Billing: Form CMS-1450 and the 837 Institutional — Revised
- Medicare Wellness Visits — Revised
View this edition as PDF (PDF)
News
Dialysis Facilities: Partnership to Vaccinate Dialysis Patients and Health Care Personnel
CDC is partnering with dialysis organizations nationwide to make COVID-19 vaccine available for administration in outpatient dialysis clinics for patients and health care personnel, to help protect this high-risk population and their care providers.
Your Medicare patients pay nothing for COVID-19 vaccines, and there is no copayment, coinsurance, or deductible.
More Information:
- Get paid to administer the vaccine: Enroll in Medicare if you aren’t already enrolled
- Find out about payment, including billing codes, payment allowances, and effective dates
Chronic Care Management: Comparative Billing Report in April
In late April, CMS will issue a Comparative Billing Report (CBR) on Part B claims for chronic care management. Use the data-driven tables to compare your billing and payment patterns with peers in your state and across the nation.
The public can’t view CBRs. Look for an email from cbrpepper.noreply@religroupinc.com to access your report. Update your email address in the Provider Enrollment, Chain, and Ownership System to ensure delivery.
More Information:
- View a webinar recording
- Visit the CBR website
- Register for a live webinar on May 12 from 3-4 pm ET
Preparedness Resources: Acute Care Delivery at Home
The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) Technical Resources, Assistance Center, and Information Exchange (TRACIE) released an Acute Care Delivery at Home tip sheet. Learn about the characteristics of various types of acute care delivery at home programs, including CMS Acute Hospital Care at Home waivers.
More Information:
- ASPR TRACIE fact sheet
- ASPR TRACIE COVID-19 Resources webpage
National Minority Health Month
Join CMS this April as we recognize National Minority Health Month. We work with local and federal partners to eliminate health care disparities, while improving the health of all minority populations, including:
- Racial and ethnic minorities
- People with disabilities
- Members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community
- Individuals with limited English proficiency
- Rural populations
More Information:
- Health Observances webpage
- Register for Road to Equity: Examining Structural Racism in Health Care Virtual Forum on April 27-28
- Achieving Health Equity web-based training course
- CMS Office of Minority Health webpage
Compliance
Specimen Validity Testing Billed in Combination with Urine Drug Testing: Proper Coding
In a recent report, the Office of the Inspector General determined that Medicare payments for specimen validity tests didn’t comply with our billing requirements. Review the MLN Matters Special Edition Article (PDF) to learn about proper billing for this testing done in conjunction with drug testing, including descriptors for:
- Presumptive drug testing codes
- Definitive drug testing codes
For more information, see the National Correct Coding Initiative Policy Manual.
Events
Road to Equity: Examining Structural Racism in Health Care Virtual Forum — April 27-28
Register for April 27 and April 28.
Join CMS for a virtual forum, highlighting a renewed focus on health equity to address structural racism and our role as an equity partner.
More Information:
- All Free Webinars & Events webpage
- CMS Office of Minority Health webpage
Medicare Part A Cost Report: Easier File Uploads for e-Filing in MCReF Webcast — April 29
Thursday, April 29 from 1 - 2:30 pm ET
Register for our Medicare Learning Network webcast.
Medicare Part A providers: Learn about the new user-friendly upload feature for the Medicare Cost Report e-Filing (MCReF) system. The new feature allows you to:
- Submit documents without turning them into ZIP files
- Tag documents
- Get alerts about missing documents
Also during this webcast:
- Get an overview of the system
- Attend a Q&A session
Use MCReF to:
- Submit cost reports (Individually or in bulk) for fiscal years ending on or after December 31, 2017.
- Track the status of cost reports with fiscal years ending after December 31, 2009.
- You have the option to electronically transmit your cost report through MCReF or mail or hand deliver it to your Medicare Administrative Contractor. You must use MCReF if you choose to submit electronically.
You may send questions in advance to OFMDPAOQuestions@cms.hhs.gov with “MCReF Webcast” in the subject line. We’ll answer your questions during the webcast or use them to develop educational materials. For more information, see the MLN Matters Article (PDF) and webpage.
If you can’t stream audio through your computer for this webcast, you can call in.
Target Audience:
- Medicare Part A providers
- Entities that file cost reports for providers
Publications
Medicare Billing: Form CMS-1450 and the 837 Institutional — Revised
CMS revised the Medicare Learning Network Medicare Billing: Form CMS-1450 and the 837 Institutional booklet. Learn about:
- Paper and electronic claims
- Filing requirements
- Submitting claims
Medicare Wellness Visits — Revised
CMS revised the Medicare Learning Network Medicare Wellness Visits educational tool. Learn about:
- Annual wellness visit
- Initial preventive physical examination
- FAQs and resources
Multimedia
Achieving Health Equity Web-Based Training — Revised
CMS revised the Medicare Learning Network Achieving Health Equity web-based training course. Learn how to:
- Define health disparities and health equity
- Address health disparities in your organization
- Foster a culture of equity
Visit the MLN Web-Based Training webpage for a current list of courses.
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