Important Information on the Timely Claims Filing Requirement The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) would like to remind Medicare Fee-For-Service physicians, providers and suppliers submitting claims to Medicare for payment, as a result of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), effective immediately, all claims for services furnished on or after Jan 1, 2010, must be filed with your Medicare contractor no later than one calendar year (12 months) from the date of service - or Medicare will deny them.
In general, the start date for determining the 1-year timely filing period is the date of service or "From" date on the claim. For institutional claims that include span dates of service (i.e., a "From" and "Through" date on the claim), the "Through" date on the claim is used for determining the date of service for claims filing timeliness. For claims submitted by physicians and other suppliers that include span dates of service, the line item "From" date is used for determining the date of service for claims filing timeliness. For additional information about the new maximum period for claims submission filing dates, contact your Medicare contractor, or review the MLN Matters articles listed below related to this subject: § MM6960 - "Systems Changes Necessary to Implement the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) Section 6404 - Maximum Period for Submission of Medicare Claims Reduced to Not More Than 12 Months" - http://www.cms.gov/MLNMattersArticles/downloads/MM6960.pdf on the CMS website. § MM7080 - "Timely Claims Filing: Additional Instructions" - http://www.cms.gov/MLNMattersArticles/downloads/MM7080.pdf on the CMS website. You can also listen to a podcast on this subject by visiting http://www.cms.gov/CMSFeeds/02_listofpodcasts.asp on the CMS website. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- January Flu Shot Reminder Get Your Flu Vaccine - Not the Flu. Don't forget to immunize yourself and your staff. Protect your patients. Protect your family. Protect yourself. While seasonal flu outbreaks can happen as early as October, flu activity usually peaks in January. This year's vaccine will protect against three different flu viruses, including the H1N1 virus that caused so much illness last flu season. The risks for complications, hospitalizations and deaths from the flu are higher among individuals aged 65 years and older. Medicare pays for the seasonal flu vaccine and its administration for seniors and others with Medicare with no co-pay or deductible. Health care workers, who may spread the flu to high risk patients, should get vaccinated too. Remember - Influenza vaccine plus its administration are covered Part B benefits. Note that influenza vaccine is NOT a Part D covered drug. For information about Medicare's coverage of the influenza vaccine and its administration, as well as related educational resources for health care staff, please visit http://www.cms.gov/MLNProducts/Downloads/Flu_Products.pdf and http://www.cms.gov/AdultImmunizations on the CMS website. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Note: If you have problems accessing any hyperlink in this message, please copy and paste the URL into your Internet browser. If you know someone who would like to subscribe to a Medicare Fee-For-Service (FFS) provider listserv, go to (http://www.cms.gov/prospmedicarefeesvcpmtgen/downloads/Provider_Listservs.pdf). If you would like to unsubscribe from a specific provider listserv, please go to (https://list.nih.gov/cgi-bin/wa.exe?INDEX) to unsubscribe or to leave the appropriate listserv. Please DO NOT respond to this email. This email is a service of CMS and routed through an electronic mail server to communicate Medicare policy and operational changes and/or updates. Responses to this email are not routed to CMS personnel. Inquiries may be sent by going to (http://www.cms.gov/ContactCMS). Thank you.
