MAPD Help Desk

The MAPD Help Desk provides technical system support to CMS business partners for the implementation and operation of Medicare Parts C and D. This systems information is provided to assist external business partners with connectivity, testing and data exchange with CMS.

Bulletin Board

• March 22, 2013 – Important Notice: Updated Electronic Retroactive Processing Transmission (eRPT) User Manual Now Available

Please note that the electronic Retroactive Processing Transmission (eRPT) User Manual has been updated to version 1.6 and is available for review in the Downloads section below.  A section about the file conversion has been added. The eRPT application is a web-based application designed to facilitate and manage the electronic submission, workflow processing, and storage of documentation associated with retroactive adjustments submitted to CMS Retroactive Processing Contractor (RPC).

Please direct questions or concerns to the MAPD Help Desk at mapdhelp@cms.hhs.gov or 1-800-927-8069.

• February 28, 2013 - Plan Communications User Guide (Version 7.0) Now Available

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has posted a new version (version 7.0) of the Plan Communications User Guide (commonly referred to as the Guide) to the MAPD Help Desk Web site. Enhancements to the Guide reflect changes incorporated from the February 2013 Release. Please reference the Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plans Communications User Guide link for the updated Guides.
Please direct questions or concerns to the MAPD Help Desk at mapdhelp@cms.hhs.gov or 1-800-927-8069.

• February 12, 2013 – Important Notice: TRC 071 and TRC 072 Cleanup

CMS performed a data clean-up relating to multiple issues with Transaction Reply Code (TRCs) 071 – Hospice On, and TRC 072 – Hospice Off, and created a special Transaction Reply Report (TRR) to address the data clean-up, which Plans should receive on February 13, 2013.  The replies in this special TRR will address the following:

• Between May 1, 2011 and November 11, 2011, PDPs were not receiving hospice notifications (TRC 071 – Hospice On and TRC 072 – Hospice Off) in their Daily Transaction Reply Reports (DTRRs).  This issue, as reported in RT 1510037, was corrected beginning November 11, 2011.
• Between May 1, 2011 and August 12, 2012, Plans were not receiving TRC 072 when the hospice notification had both begin and end dates. This issue, as reported in RT 1510037, was corrected beginning August 12, 2012.
• Between August 12, 2012 and December 16, 2012, TRC 072 (Hospice Off) was sent on the DTRR with an incorrect end date in the effective date fields (Fields 18 and 24) that was one day later than the actual end date on the MARx User Interface (UI). The MARx UI date was correct throughout this issue.  This issue, as reported in RT1998703, was corrected beginning December 16, 2012.

CMS processed a data clean-up on February 2, 2013. The replies in this special TRR will supply the correct hospice information.

Plans should process these notification transactions and update Plan records accordingly per the CMS guidance policy.

The file name of the special TRR is as follows:

Gentran or TIBCO mailbox:
P.Rxxxxx.SPCLTRD.Dyymmdd.Thhmmsst.pn

Connect:Direct (Mainframe):
zzzzzzzz.Rxxxxx.SPLCTRD.Dyymmdd.Thhmmsst

Connect:Direct (Non-Mainframe):
[directory]Rxxxxx.SPLCTRD.Dyymmdd.Thhmmsst

Please direct questions or concerns to the MAPD Help Desk at mapdhelp@cms.hhs.gov or 1-800-927-8069.

• February 5, 2013 - Important Notice: Drug Switch Incorrectly Set to “Non-drug” for Valid Drug Plan Sponsors

The Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug System (MARx) inadvertently set the drug switch indicator, which indicates whether a Plan is also a Part D prescription drug Plan, to a value of non-drug for some Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug sponsors. As a result, Part D premiums and payments were not calculated properly for enrollments processed between November 10, 2012 and November 27, 2012.

On January 31, 2013, CMS processed a data clean-up to correct the premium and payments for enrollments effective in 2012 and the premiums for 2013. Also, any subsequent transactions to the enrollment will be reprocessed to ensure all changes are applied correctly based on the corrected drug switch indicator.

Plans will receive corrected data in a special Daily Transaction Reply Report (DTRR) on February 6, 2013 and should evaluate whether the data should be processed. Information from this data-cleanup could relate to the following Transaction Reply Codes (TRC):

• 011 Enrollment accepted as submitted
• 014 Disenrollment due to enrollment into another plan
• 182 Invalid PTC Premium submitted, corrected
• 285 Enrollment cancellation accepted
• 287 Enrollment reinstated

The naming convention for the special DTRR will be as follows:

Gentran or TIBCO mailbox:
P.Rxxxxx.SPCLTRD.Dyymmdd.Thhmmsst

Connect:Direct (Mainframe):
zzzzzzzz.Rxxxxx.SPLCTRD.Dyymmdd.Thhmmsst

Connect:Direct (Non-Mainframe):
[directory]Rxxxxx.SPLCTRD.Dyymmdd.Thhmmsst

Data for this cleanup could also relate to the following Adjustment Reason Codes (ARC):

• 02 Retroactive Enrollment
• 03 Retroactive Disenrollment

In addition, affected Plans will receive corrected payment adjustment data in their March 2013 Monthly Membership Report (MMR) and should evaluate whether the data should be processed.

Please direct questions or concerns to the MAPD Help Desk at mapdhelp@cms.hhs.gov or 1-800-927-8069.

• January 29, 2013 - Important Notice: May 2013 Software Release Memorandums

Please be advised that CMS does not foresee any system changes impacting the Plans for the May 2013 Release. Therefore, CMS will  not produce the May 2013 Software Release Memorandums.

Please direct questions or concerns to the MAPD Help Desk at mapdhelp@cms.hhs.gov or 1-800-927-8069.

• Delayed Release of the Electronic Retroactive Processing Transmission Application

CMS planned to release its electronic Retroactive Processing Transmission (eRPT) application on December 10, 2012. CMS is delaying the release of this application to ensure the Plans can dedicate their resources to end-of-year processes. CMS will announce when it will launch the eRPT. Until the launch of the eRPT, Medicare Advantage organizations, Part D sponsors, Cost-Based Plans and Program for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly Organizations (PACE) Plans should continue to use the processes currently in place for communication with the Retroactive Processing Contractor (RPC).

The eRPT application is a web-based application designed to facilitate and manage the electronic submission, workflow processing, and storage of documentation associated with retroactive change and Transaction Inquiry Requests that are sent to the RPC. Plans will also receive and submit work associated with the Enrollment Data Validation Review process through the eRPT.

CMS will provide further guidance when a release date is established.

If you have any questions, please contact the MAPD Help Desk at: mapdhelp@cms.hhs.gov or 1-800-927-8069.

• Year 2013 MARx Plan Monthly Schedule Now Available

The MARx Plan Monthly Schedule for 2013 has been updated to reflect Plan data due dates, report release dates, and enrollment certification due dates. Text and color versions of the 2013 MARx calendar are available for Plans to review in the Downloads section below.

Please direct questions or concerns to the MAPD Help Desk at mapdhelp@cms.hhs.gov or 1-800-927-8069.               

• Enrollment and Eligibility System Production Calendar for 2013 Now Available

The MAPD Production Schedule has been updated to reflect 2013 file transmissions. A text and color version of the calendar is available for Plans to review in the Downloads section below.

Please direct questions or concerns to the MAPD Help Desk at mapdhelp@cms.hhs.gov or 1-800-927-8069.                        

Planned Outages

• None Scheduled.

Regularly Scheduled Maintenance

As a reminder, each Sunday night beginning at 6 pm (ET) through Monday morning at 6 am (ET), the Medicare Advantage and Part-D Inquiry System (Common UI) will be unavailable to Plan users for routine scheduled maintenance.

If there are any questions please contact the MAPD Help Desk at 1-800-927-8069.

MARx Common UI unavailable daily – approximately 11:00 PM through 12:30 AM EST due to maintenance.

IACS Weekly System Maintenance - Sunday 6 p.m. to Monday 6 a.m. EST.

GENTRAN (mailboxes) Weekly System Backup - Sunday 1 a.m. to approximately 3 a.m. EST.

Contacting the MAPD Help Desk

Phone: 1-800-927-8069
E-mail: mapdhelp@cms.hhs.gov
Hours of Operation: Monday-Friday 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. EST.