Rural Health Open Door Forum

**Updated August 19, 2010- ICD-10 Implementation in a 5010 Environment Follow-Up National Provider Call- The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will host a follow-up national provider conference call on "ICD-10 Implementation in a 5010 Environment". Subject matter experts will review basic information on both ICD-10 and 5010 and explain how they are interrelated. A question and answer session will follow the presentations. When: Monday, September 13, 2010; Time: 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. ET; Target Audience: Medical coders, physician office staff, provider billing staff, health records staff, vendors, educators, system maintainers and all Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) providers. The following topics will be discussed: ICD-10; ICD-10 implementation for services provided on and after October 1, 2013; Differences between ICD-10 and ICD-9-CM codes; ICD-10-CM basic information for all users; Tools for converting codes – General Equivalence Mappings (GEMs); Proposal to freeze ICD-9-CM and ICD-10 code updates except for new technologies and diseases; HIPAA Version 5010; Compliance dates and timelines (No contingencies); 5010 before and after ICD-10 Implementation; Readiness review for implementing HIPAA version 5010 and D.0; What you need to be doing to prepare; Medicare fee-for-service activities update; Other issues and considerations. 

This toll-free teleconference will include a question and answer session. For more information and to register for this informative session, please go to http://www.cms.gov/ICD10/02c_CMS_Sponsored_Calls.asp#TopOfPage on the CMS website. Registration will close at 12:00 p.m.ET on September 10, 2010, or when available space has been filled. No exceptions will be made. Please register early

**Updated August 13, 2010- August is National Immunization Awareness Month. This annual health observance is a great opportunity to educate seniors and other people with Medicare about the importance of disease control and prevention through immunization. Vaccine-preventable disease levels are at or near record lows. Yet, many adults remain under-immunized, missing opportunities to protect themselves against diseases such as hepatitis B, seasonal influenza, and pneumococcal disease. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ask all health care providers who provide care to Medicare patients to join us during National Immunization Awareness Month to help protect your Medicare patients from vaccine-preventable diseases by checking to make sure their immunizations are up-to-date and encouraging utilization of Medicare-covered immunizations that are appropriate for them.
Medicare Part B Immunization Benefits
Medicare provides coverage for seasonal influenza, pneumococcal, and hepatitis B vaccines and their administration, under Medicare Part B, for qualified beneficiaries as preventive immunizations. Providers who accept the Medicare-approved payment amount for these services are reimbursed under Medicare Part B.
• Seasonal Influenza Immunization
Medicare provides payment for the seasonal influenza vaccine and its administration for all people with Medicare, once per influenza season, in the fall or winter. Medicare may cover additional influenza vaccinations, if medically necessary. (Note: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the 2010 – 2011 influenza vaccine will protect against the 2009 H1N1, and two other influenza viruses http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/disease/.)
• Pneumococcal Immunization
Medicare provides payment for the pneumococcal vaccine and its administration for all beneficiaries, generally once in a lifetime. Medicare may cover additional vaccinations based on risk.
• Hepatitis B Immunization
Medicare provides payment for the hepatitis B vaccine and its administration for beneficiaries at medium to high risk of contracting hepatitis B.
For More Information: CMS Adult Immunizations Web Page http://www.cms.gov/AdultImmunizations/ (Please Note: The "Immunizers' Question & Answer Guide to Medicare Coverage of Seasonal Influenza and Pneumococcal Vaccinations", which provides administration and flu vaccine payment rates for use by mass immunizers and physician practices, will be updated and posted to this site sometime in early October, 2010.)

CMS Medicare Learning Network (MLN) Preventive Services Educational Products Web Page http://www.cms.gov/MLNProducts/35_PreventiveServices.asp#TopOfPage – This site provides access to MLN educational resources developed by CMS for fee-for-service providers related to Medicare-covered preventive services, including adult immunizations.

For information about National Immunization Awareness Month, please visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website at http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/events/niam/default.htm .

**Updated August 12, 2010- The next Rural Health Open Door Forum is scheduled for Tuesday, September 14, 2010 from 2pm-3pmET. If you wish to participate, dial 1-800-837-1935 Conference ID 91965046. Please see the full participation announcement in the Downloads section below. Thank you for your continued interest in the CMS Open Door Forums.

**Updated August 10, 2010- Ninth National Education Call on Medicare Fee-For-Service (FFS) Implementation of HIPAA Version 5010 and D.0 Transactions, Medicare FFS 5010 Program: Taking EDI to the Next Level- August 25, 2010, 2:00pm To 3:30pm ET. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will host its ninth national education call regarding Medicare FFS's implementation of HIPAA Version 5010 and D.0 transaction standards on August 25, 2010. This session will focus on the 835 Electronic Remittance Advice transaction. Subject matter experts will review Medicare FFS specific changes as well as general information to help the audience prepare for the transition; the presentation will be followed by a Q&A session. The presentation will be available on the CMS website by clicking on the following link: http://www.cms.gov/Versions5010andD0/V50/list.asp - Please bookmark this new "5010 National Calls" web page. Registration will close at 2:00 p.m. EST on August 24, 2010, or when available space has been filled. Target Audience: Vendors, clearinghouses, and providers who will need to make Medicare FFS specific changes in compliance with HIPAA version 5010 requirements.

Medicare Fee-For-Service (FFS) Implementation of HIPAA Version 5010 835 Electronic Remittance Advice Transaction Agenda: General Overview, Medicare Specific Changes, Timelines and Deadlines. What you need to do to prepare, Transaction Specific Issues, Q & A

In order to receive the call-in information, you must register for the call. It is important to note that if you are planning to sit in with a group, only one person needs to register to receive the call-in data. This registration is solely to reserve a phone line, NOT to allow participation. Registration will close at 2:00 p.m. ET on August 24, 2010, or when available space has been filled. No exceptions will be made, so please be sure to register prior to this time. 

1. To register for the call participants need to go to:
http://www.eventsvc.com/palmettogba/082510

2. Fill in all required data.

3. Verify your time zone is displayed correctly the drop down box.

4. Click "Register".

5. You will be taken to the "Thank you for registering" page and will receive a confirmation email shortly thereafter. Note: Please print and save this page, in the event that your server blocks the confirmation emails. If you do not receive the confirmation email, please check your spam/junk mail filter as it may have been directed there.

6. If assistance for hearing impaired services is needed the request must be sent to medicare.ttt@palmettogba.com no later than 3 business day before the event.

**Updated August 5, 2010- The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is hosting a PERM Provider Education Conference Call to provide an opportunity for live dialogue between CMS and the Medicaid provider community in the States of Colorado, California, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. The call will be held Wednesday, August, 11, 2010 at 2:00pm to 3:30pm, ET. The Payment Error Rate Measurement (PERM) program is designed to measure improper payments in the Medicaid and CHIP programs, as required by the Improper Payments Information Act of 2002 (IPIA; Public Law 107-300). The purpose of the Perm Provider Education conference call is to educate Medicaid providers about PERM and their specific responsibilities during the PERM process. Provider forum participants will learn from PERM related presentations such as: An overview of the PERM program, the PERM process and what you may be required to do during a PERM review; The documentation request letter/what are your responsibilities when the documentation request letter is received; The follow up schedule and the requirements; Frequent mistakes and best practices.

The following materials will be discussed and are available at the PERM Providers page of the CMS Website, http://www.cms.gov/PERM/ : PERM 101 for Medicaid Providers & Sample document request letter. There will be time available for Q&A's however; CMS encourages your questions to be submitted in advance to our designated PERM provider email address at: PERMProviders@cms.hhs.gov or, you may also contact your State PERM Representatives with any questions and for information about educational and training events in your area. For Colorado Providers: Vivian.Tran@state.co.us; For California Providers: Kerri.arndt@dhcs.ca.gov or lhon@mrmib.ca.gov; For Massachusetts Providers: David.Kerrigan@MassMail.state.ma.us; For Rhode Island Providers: RRacca@dhs.ril.gov. Please check the CMS Website's PERM Provider page regularly for additional Provider Education information and updates at http://www.cms.gov/PERM/.
Joining the conference: Dial-In Number:  Dial-in # (800) 603-1774 Your conference ID # is 87759280. Encore is available for this call which is a digital recording of the conference and will be available for replay two hours after the call's completion. The date range that the conference replay will be available through dialing the Encore Dial In # (800) 642-1687, 8/11/10 15:30 EST – 8/13/10 23:59 ET. To view the entire PERM Call announcement please see: http://www.cms.gov/PERM/Downloads/Invite_August_11.pdf .

******

Rural Health Open Door Forum Overview 

The Rural Health ODF addresses Rural Health Clinic (RHC), Critical Access Hospital (CAH) and Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) issues, as well as some inclusion of other questions and concerns that occur in clinical practice pertaining to other CMS payment systems that also extend into these settings. Topics that frequently arise on this forum often deal with payment & billing for services subject to Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) and/or Physician Shortage Area (PSA) status, cost report clarifications, classifications for & qualifications of rural provider types, and the many special provisions being implemented for improving rural health in the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003. Timely announcements and clarifications regarding important rulemaking, quality program initiatives, and other related areas are also included in the Forums.

Downloads
Tuesday, September 14, 2010- Rural Health Open Door Forum (PDF, 24KB) Tuesday, November 10, 2009- Information Discussion with Department of Health & Human Services on H1N1 (PDF, 24KB) CMS Rural Health Coordinators Updated May 2009 (PDF, 24KB) Medicare Billing Information Chart for Rural Providers, Suppliers & Physicians (PDF, 296KB) Carrier/FI Directory (PDF,338KB)
Related Links Inside CMS
Rural Health Open Door Forum Mailing List Sign-Up CMS Rural Health Center Details for Post Acute Care Payment Reform Demonstration (PAC-PRD) CMS Survey & Certification Policy Memos to States and Regions HPSA/PSA (Physician Bonuses) State MMA Website Swing Bed Information
Related Links Outside CMS
Rural Health Clinic Technical Assistance Series (Sponsored By HRSA) Government Printing Office Federal Register Medicare Learning Network (MLN) Product Ordering Page

Page Last Modified: 08/19/2010 9:24:11 AM
Help with File Formats and Plug-Ins