2005 News Archives

Home Provider Part B Publications

WPS Medicare has maintained Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)-published articles (i.e. MLN Matters, Learnsource) on our Website since CMS began releasing them. To reduce duplication of information between WPS' and CMS' Websites, effective December 3, 2007, WPS Medicare will maintain links to CMS-published articles on our Website for two months after their release/revision date. After that time, we will remove the links from our Website. CMS maintains all MLN Matters articles on their Website at: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNMattersArticles/

Please note: Some of the older materials on these archives might have outdated information and references (including Web links that are no longer functional). Please keep this in mind when referring to archived materials. For the most up-to-date information, sign up for WPS Medicare e-News (Listserv) or try out our new search engine to find exactly what you're looking for.

• Advance Beneficiary Notice
• Ambulance
• Ambulatory Surgical Centers (ASCs)
• Anesthesia
• Chiropractic
• Claims and Billing
• Codes/Modifiers
• Comprehensive Error Rate Testing (CERT)
• Deductible
• DMEPOS
• Drug Information
• Eligibility
• Fraud
• Hospice
• HPSA
• Influenza
• Novice Know-How
• Policy/Coverage
• Pricing/Fees/Reimbursement
• Therapy
• WPS Medicare Service
• Miscellaneous

Advance Beneficiary Notice

• Do I Need an ABN for Every Visit if Medicare May Not Cover it? (08/11/05)
• Are There Modifiers to Indicate if a Provider has an ABN on File? (07/14/05)
• What are examples of statements to use on an ABN? (07/07/05)
• Advanced Beneficiary Notice (ABN) - What Does a Provider do if a Patient Refuses to Sign an ABN? (06/23/05)
• Advanced Beneficiary Notice (ABN) - What is it all about? (06/16/05)

Ambulance

• Wisconsin 2006 Ambulance Fee Schedule Amounts (pdf - 1 page; 26KB) (12/15/05)
• Illinois 2006 Ambulance Fee Schedule Amounts (pdf - 1 page; 40KB) (12/15/05)
• Michigan 2006 Ambulance Fee Schedule Amounts (pdf - 1 page; 31KB) (12/15/05)
• Minnesota 2006 Ambulance Fee Schedule Amounts (pdf - 1 page; 26KB) (12/15/05)
• Submission of Rural Air Ambulance Protocols (07/21/05)

Ambulatory Surgical Centers (ASC)

• Ambulatory Surgical Center Physician billing: What is it and Why does it make a difference in the Place of Service code used? (07/07/05)

Anesthesia

Chiropractic

• Two New ZIP Codes Now Included in the Chiropractic Services Demonstration Area (10/27/05)
• Clearinghouse Issues with Chiropractic Demonstration (08/11/05)
• Special Alert: MMA Section 651 Expansion of Coverage of Chiropractic Services Demonstration (06/16/05)
• MMA - Expansion of Coverage for Chiropractic Services Demonstration (04/21/05)
• Demonstration of Expansion of Coverage for Chiropractic Services Applicable to Limited Geographic Areas (02/24/05)

Claims/Billing

• Billing for Missed Appointments/No-Shows (11/23/05)
• Medicare Remit Easy Print (10/03/05)
• Billing of Bilateral Procedures (09/29/05)
• How to Appeal a Claim Determination
  Note: This article was revised to link to the correct redetermination form. (08/18/05)
• Partial Rescission of Provision Concerning Decision Letters Resulting From Contractor Fair Hearings (08/11/05)
• How to Appeal a Claim Determination (08/11/05)
• New Appointment of Representation Form (CMS-1696) (08/11/05)
• Paper Claims Submission and Enforcement Clarified (06/23/05)
• Electronic Remittance Advice (ERA) (06/13/05)
• ATTENTION: Are you Getting Medical Necessity Denials for Claims for One of the 23 Laboratory NCDs? (06/03/05)
• Timeliness of Appeals (Redeterminations) (05/26/05)
• ALERT: Are you Getting Medical Necessity Denials for Claims for One of the 23 Laboratory NCDs? (05/19/05)

Comprehensive Error Rate Testing (CERT)

• CERT Reminder to Providers-Address Update Procedures (12/01/05)
• Common CERT Errors - Ambulance (11/10/05)
• CERT Documentation Contractor - Update (07/14/05)
• CERT Documentation - Chiropractic and Physical Therapy Services (06/23/05)
• Common CERT Errors - Podiatry (10/13/05)

Codes/Modifiers

• T-Codes (Category III) (11/17/05)
• Place of Service (POS) 60 - Mass Immunization Center (11/10/05)
• New G Code for Power Mobility Devices (PMDs) (pdf - 2 pages; 12KB) (10/27/05)
• Appropriate Usage of Modifier 25 (10/20/05)
• Procedure Code A4643 Replaced With Q9952 (08/25/05)
• Facility Services Choosing the Correct Place of Service (POS) (07/21/05)
• Change in Coding for Epinephrine (07/07/05)
• J3490 (Not Otherwise Classified (NOC) HCPCS Code): Billing Tips (04/28/05)
• Why Choosing the Correct Place Of Service (POS) code is Important (04/28/05)
• Attention: G0001 is No Longer a Valid Code Effective January 1, 2005! (01/20/05)

DMEPOS

• FSY 2006 DMEPOS Codes Reimbursement (12/29/05)
• October 2005 DMEPOS Fee Schedule Update (pdf - 3 pages; 15KB)
• July 2005 DMEPOS Fee Schedule Update (05/19/05)

Drug Information

• Public Service Announcements for Health Care Professionals: What Do You Say When Asked About the New Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage? (pdf - 2 pages; 569KB) (09/29/05)
• CMS' "Provider Toolkit" on the New Medicare Drug Benefit (pdf - 20 pages; 840KB) (08/18/05)
• Medicare Drug Benefit and Medicare Advantage Program Update (01/27/05)

Eligibility

• Medicare Part B Enrollment for TRICARE-Eligible Beneficiaries (01/13/05)

Fraud

• Mistakes Occur - When is It Fraud? (07/21/05)

HPSA

• New Process for HPSA/PSA Incentive Checks (12/22/05)
• New Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) Modifier (12/15/05)
• Clarification to April, 2005, Communiqué HPSA Article - Billing Guidelines (04/28/05)
• Are Your Claims Rejecting as Unprocessable Due to HPSA and PSA? (01/20/05)

Hospice

• Claims Involving Beneficiaries Who Have Elected Hospice Coverage (09/29/05)

Influenza

• Beneficiary Submitted Flu Claims for Services Provided by Non-Enrolled Providers (11/10/05)
• Flu Vaccine Coding and Allowance (11/10/05)
• Claims for Flu Shots (10/27/05)

Novice Know-How

• Novice Know-How (08/18/05)
• Introducing "Novice Know-How": Focused Education for New Providers (07/07/05)

Policy/Coverage

• Sermorelin (12/22/05)
• Maxillofacial Surgeons (11/17/05)
• New Regulation on Power Mobility Devices (09/01/05)
• Guide to Medicare Preventive Services for Physicians, Providers, Suppliers, and Other Health Care Professionals (08/25/05)
• Update to Usually Self-Administered Drugs List (07/14/05)
• Coverage Information for Portable X-Ray Suppliers (Specialty 63) (07/14/05)

Pricing/Fees/Reimbursement

• Change in the Amount in Controversy Requirements for Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) and Federal District Court Appeals (12/22/05)
• FSY 2006 Fees For DMEPOS Codes Processed by WPS (pdf - 6 pages; 31KB) (12/08/05)
• 2006 Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule (11/23/05)
• 2006 Automated Multi-Channel Test and Lab Paneling Pricing (11/17/05)
• 2006 Payment Amounts for Splints and Casts (11/17/05)
• Proposed Payment Update and Policy Changes for Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (08/11/05)
• Provider Pricing Change (07/28/05)
• Calculating Payment-to-Cost Ratios (PCR) for Purposes of Determing Transitional Corridor Payments Under the Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) (07/14/05)
• Second Update to Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (pdf - 8 pages; 37KB) (06/03/05)
• Unsolicited/Voluntary Refunds (05/26/05)
• Patient's Medicare Number to be Removed From Reimbursement Checks as of October 1, 2005 (05/19/05)
• New Carrier Priced Fees Established (03/10/05)
• Telehealth Originating Site Facility Fee Payment Amount Update (02/24/05)
• 2005 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFSDB) First Quarterly Update (pdf - 9 pages; 50KB) (02/24/05)
• Place of Service Impact on Reimbursement (02/03/05)
• Place of Service Codes and Physician's Reimbursement - REVISED 1/31/05 (01/27/05)
• Illinois-2005 Portable X-Ray Fee Adjustment (pdf - 1 page; 12KB) (01/20/05)
• January 2005 Medicare Part B Drug Payment Allowance Limits (01/07/05)

Therapy

• Revision of March 2005 Physical Therapy Code Probe Review Article (04/21/05)
• Physical Therapy Code 97110 - Probe Review (03/03/05)

WPS Medicare Service

• We Need You! (09/08/05)
• iLinc is Coming: WPS Introduces Our New Web Conferencing Software (06/23/05)
• WPS Commitment to Error Rate Reductions (03/17/05)

Miscellaneous

CMS Awards TrustSolutions, LLC the Part A/B Benefit Integrity work for Illinois/Indiana (10/27/05)

Toll-Free Numbers for the New ALJ Offices (07/21/05)

Attention Small Provider Groups (03/03/05)

Page Last Updated: Wednesday, 09-Apr-2008 15:48:35 CDT