All covered entities under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) must be ready to implement the Version 5010 transaction standards on January 1, 2012. A critical step to reaching this milestone is testing Version 5010 transactions prior to going live. With less than four months until the transition, it is time to take action, especially on external (Level II) testing. CMS has posted a new fact sheet<http://www.cms.gov/ICD10/Downloads/Versions5010TestingReadinessFactSheet.pdf> to help you better understand testing and the steps involved. External testing with business partners in the new Version 5010 format will ensure that you are able to send and receive compliant transactions prior to the deadline. You should begin testing as soon as possible if you have not already done so. Waiting until the last minute may result in long testing queues, so plan ahead to avoid the rush.
Here are some suggested steps to take now: * Identify the partners you currently conduct transactions with * Create a schedule and timeline for external testing with each partner * Identify priority partners to conduct testing with if you trade with a large number of business partners Keep Up to Date on Version 5010. Please visit the 5010 website located at https://www.CMS.gov/Versions5010andD0/ for the latest news and resources to help you prepare today! ----------------------------------------------------------- Vaccinate Early to Protect Against the Flu /2011-2012 Influenza Vaccine Prices Are Now Available The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends a yearly flu vaccination as the first and most important step in protecting against flu viruses. Remind your patients that annual vaccination is recommended for optimal protection. Medicare pays for the flu vaccine and its administration for seniors and other Medicare beneficiaries with no co-pay or deductible. Take advantage of each office visit and start protecting your patients as soon as your 2011-2012 seasonal flu vaccine arrives. And don't forget to immunize yourself and your staff. Get the Flu Vaccination - Not the Flu. Remember - Influenza vaccine plus its administration are covered Part B benefits. CMS has posted the 2011-2012 seasonal influenza vaccine payment limits at: http://www.CMS.gov/McrPartBDrugAvgSalesPrice/10_VaccinesPricing.asp 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 healthcare professionals and their staff, visit http://www.CMS.gov/MLNProducts/35_PreventiveServices.asp. --------------------------------------------------------- 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.
