08/31/2010

CMS announces that the Q3 HETS 270/271 system release scheduled for Saturday, September 11, 2010 has been rescheduled. This release will now be installed on Sunday, October 3, 2010.

Complete information, including links to the Q3 release summary and an updated HETS 270/271 Companion Guide, is included below.

Submitters should note that effective with this release, HETS will begin real-time validation of NPIs. As soon as this release is installed, HETS will begin returning 271 AAA errors when the NPI submitted in the 270 request cannot be validated. HETS Submitters must take action before October 3, 2010 to ensure that they have created Submitter/NPI relationships for each of your customers using HPG 3.0.

The release is scheduled to be installed on Sunday, October 3, 2010. The HETS 270/271 application will be unavailable during the system release. CMS will distribute more specific release information (including estimated outage times) in September, 2010.

Please contact the MCARE Help Desk if you have any questions or comments.

Medicare Customer Assistance Re: Eligibility (MCARE) Help Desk