Take the Test, Take Control - Mon June 27 is National HIV Testing Day [cid:[email protected]] <http://www.napwa.org/>
National HIV Testing Day (NHTD) is an event organized by the National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA)<http://www.napwa.org/> in partnership with other national and local entities across the country. The 17th annual NHTD takes place this year on Mon Jun 27 as part of an ongoing effort to combat the growing HIV epidemic by teaching those at risk the powerful reasons for learning one's HIV status. This initiative is unique in that the message "Take the Test, Take Control" comes directly from those already living with HIV. As the HIV epidemic turns thirty, the CMS reminds the healthcare community that Medicare provides coverage for HIV screening for Medicare beneficiaries at increased risk for HIV infection based on the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendations and subject to coverage and eligibility guidelines. What Can You Do? CMS urges Medicare providers to help the cause by educating seniors and other beneficiaries on the various preventive services covered by Medicare; for at-risk beneficiaries, use your office visits as an opportunity to inform your patients about the benefits of HIV screening. Medicare provides coverage for HIV screening as a Medicare Part B benefit; eligible beneficiaries may receive this service at no out-of-pocket cost (no coinsurance, copayment, or deductible). (Beneficiaries with any known prior diagnosis of HIV-related illness are not eligible for this screening test.) For More Information: § CMS National Coverage Determination - NCD for Screening for HIV<http://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/details/nca-details.aspx?NCAId=229&ver=19&NcaName=Screening+for+the+Human+Immunodeficiency+Virus+(HIV)+Infection&bc=BEAAAAAAAAAA&> § Medicare Learning Network's "Guide to Medicare Preventive Services"<http://www.cms.gov/MLNProducts/downloads/mps_guide_web-061305.pdf> § MLN Matters Article MM6786, "Screening for HIV"<http://www.cms.gov/MLNMattersArticles/downloads/MM6786.pdf> § MLN's "HIV Screening" Brochure<http://www.cms.gov/MLNProducts/downloads/HIV_brochure_ICN905713.pdf> § US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) - Screening for HIV Recommendation Statement<http://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf05/hiv/hivrs.htm#clinical> § Department of Health & Human Services - National HIV Testing<http://www.hhs.gov/aidsawarenessdays/days/testing/> § NAPWA National HIV Testing Day<http://www.napwa.org/> Share the News, Share the Health! - CMS Prevention Campaign Kicks Off! Help us share the news about the important benefits of Medicare's preventive services, including the new Annual Wellness Visit (AWV). Beginning on Sat Jan 1, 2011, the Affordable Care Act allowed for coverage of critical new benefits for Medicare beneficiaries, including the addition of a free AWV. This expanded coverage allows physicians to provide Personalized Prevention Plan Services that consider both age-appropriate preventive services available to all Medicare beneficiaries and additional services that may be appropriate to the patient's individual needs. (Note that Medicare provides coverage of the AWV as a Medicare Part B benefit. The beneficiary will pay nothing for the AWV as there is no coinsurance or copayment and no Medicare Part B deductible for these benefits.) Resources on the Annual Wellness Visit: The Medicare Learning Network® is your source for educational products on Medicare policy. Several products are available to help you understand the components of the AWV and include information on coverage, coding, billing, reimbursement, and claims filing procedures. § Quick Reference Information: The ABCs of Providing the Annual Wellness Visit<http://www.cms.gov/MLNProducts/downloads/AWV_Chart_ICN905706.pdf> § MLN Matters Article MM7079: "Annual Wellness Visit (AWV), Including Personalized Prevention Plan Services (PPPS)"<http://www.cms.gov/MLNMattersArticles/downloads/MM7079.pdf> § Visit the Medicare Learning Network® Preventive Services webpage<http://www.cms.gov/MLNProducts/35_PreventiveServices.asp> for a complete list of available products for Medicare fee-for-service providers and suppliers § Order materials<http://productordering.cms.hhs.gov/> you and your patients can use to start the conversation about Medicare's preventive services, including "Questions to Ask about Medicare Preventive Services<http://www.medicare.gov/Publications/Pubs/pdf/11542.pdf>." Want to learn more and hear from CMS experts? Save the Date: A national provider call on "The ABCs of the Initial Preventive Physical Examination and Annual Wellness Visit" will be held on Thu July 21. More People with Medicare Receiving Free Preventive Care: On Mon June 20, CMS released a new report<http://downloads.cms.gov/files/preventionreport.pdf> showing that more than 5 million Americans with traditional Medicare - or nearly one in six people with Medicare - took advantage of one or more of the recommended preventive benefits now available for free thanks to the Affordable Care Act. According to the report, more that 5.5 million beneficiaries in traditional Medicare used one or more of the preventive benefits now covered without cost-sharing, including, most prominently, mammograms, bone-density screenings, and screenings for prostate cancer. This announcement comes during Prevention & Wellness Month, as the Obama Administration is highlighting announcements, activities, and tips that will help Americans get healthy and stay healthy. A more extensive press release on this topic can be found on the CMS website at http://www.CMS.gov/apps/media/press/release.asp?Counter=3987<http://www.cms.gov/apps/media/press/release.asp?Counter=3987>. New Healthcare Advisory on Preventive Services Available from Medscape For those who might not have already been aware, CMS has begun working with Medscape.org<http://www.medscape.org/> to disseminate educational information of interest to the healthcare provider community as widely and effectively as possible. Membership on Medscape is free, but you must register to view content; you do not have to be a health professional. Please note that a new Medscape Healthcare Advisory is available on preventive services, and can be found at http://www.Medscape.org/viewarticle/743624<http://www.medscape.org/viewarticle/743624>. In addition, the Healthcare Reform Destination Page - entitled Healthcare Updates: Highlights from CMS - was launched on Wed June 15, and is available at http://www.Medscape.org/sites/advances/healthcare-updates<http://www.medscape.org/sites/advances/healthcare-updates>. This page is will serve as a destination for providers, encompassing CMS health reform content, CME activities and other resources, and information and links. This is a dynamic, "living" page that will be updated as additional content is developed and new topics are highlighted. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.
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