Brian

2017 National and State-Specific Medicare Data

Posted on by Brian Werfel

The American Ambulance Association is pleased to announce the publication of its 2017 Medicare Payment Data Report. This report is based on the Physician/Supplier Procedure Summary Master File. This report contains information on all Part B and DME claims processed through the Medicare Common Working File and stored in the National Claims History Repository. The report contains an overview of total Medicare spending nationwide in CY 2017, and then a separate breakdown of Medicare spending in each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the various other U.S. Territories. For each jurisdiction, the report contains two charts: the first reflects data for all ambulance services, while the second is limited solely to dialysis transports. Each chart lists total spending by procedure code (i.e., base rates and mileage). For comparison purposes, information is also provided on Medicare spending in CY 2016. Questions? Contact Brian Werfel at bwerfel@aol.com.  ...

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Kathy

MedPAC Examines Beneficiary Use of Emergency Departments

Posted on by Kathy Lester

During its October meeting, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), reviewed Medicare’s current policies related to non-urgent and emergency care, as these topics relate to the use of hospital emergency departments (EDs) and urgent care centers (UCCs). The Commission is examining this topic because the use of ED services in recent years has grown faster than that of physician offices.  At the same time, the share of ED visits that are coded as high acuity has increased. The Commission is exploring Medicare beneficiaries’ use of EDs and UCCs for non-urgent services. In addition, the Commission is analyzing ED coding to determine if the increase in coding high-acuity visits reflects real change in the patients treated in EDs. This slide deck shows the potential savings Medicare could realize if beneficiaries shift certain care to the UCC setting. During the meeting, the staff sought feedback from Commissioners for developing next steps. This topic will likely continue to be addressed in future meetings. From the perspective of ambulance payment reform, the observations made by the Commissioners and staff would also seem to support incorporating scope-appropriate ambulance services in the context of community paramedicine or treatment at the scene with referral. While additional work...

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Brian

CMS Announces Revisions to Provider Enrollment Waiver Demonstration (PEWD) Program

Posted on by Brian Werfel

CMS Announces Revisions to Provider Enrollment Moratoria Access Waiver Demonstration (PEWD) Program On August 20, 2018, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published a notice in the Federal Register that it would be revising the terms of its Provider Enrollment Moratoria Access Waiver Demonstration (PEWD) Program. These revisions became effective on August 20, 2018. Section 6401(a) of the Affordable Care Act granted CMS the authority to impose temporary moratoria on the enrollment of new Medicare providers and suppliers to the extent doing so was necessary to combat fraud or abuse. Based on this authority, CMS has implemented temporary moratoria on the enrollment of new non-emergency ambulance providers in the states of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Under the Provider Enrollment Moratoria Access Waiver Demonstration (PEWD) Program, CMS has the authority to grant waivers to statewide enrollment moratorium on a case-by-case basis in response to access to care issues.  However, since the implementation of the PEWD Program in 2016, CMS has identified a handful of technical issues that have complicated the implementation of the PEWD Program.  The revisions in this notice are intended to resolve these technical issues. The specific revisions CMS is making include: In December 2016, Congress enacted the 21st...

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Brian

Talking Medicare: DOJ Settlement Highlights Importance of Exclusion Testing

Posted on by Brian Werfel

Talking Medicare: Recent DOJ Settlement Highlights Importance of Exclusion Testing On July 17, 2018, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Maine issued a press release on a settlement that had been reached with an ambulance service in Maine. As a result of this settlement, the ambulance service agreed to pay $16,776.74 to resolve allegations that it had submitted false claims to the Medicare and Maine Medicare Programs. While the Department of Justice’s press release referred to the matter as a civil health care fraud, that headline is somewhat misleading. The ambulance service was not alleged to “up-coded” its claims or to have billed for patients that did not require ambulance transportation. Rather, the ambulance service was accused of using monies paid to it by these federal health care programs to pay the salary and benefits of a woman hired to assist the company’s billing manager. The woman, who was not identified in news reports, had previously been excluded from participation in federal health care programs after surrendering her license as a pharmacy technician after being found to have inappropriately diverted certain controlled substances. The ambulance service apparently failed to conduct an exclusion test on this individual prior to placing...

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Brian

CMS Extends Moratorium on Non-Emergency Ground Services

Posted on by Brian Werfel

CMS Extends Temporary Moratorium on Non-Emergency Ground Ambulance Services in New Jersey and Pennsylvania The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that it intends to extend the temporary moratoria on the enrollment of new Medicare Part B non-emergency ground ambulance providers and suppliers in the states of New Jersey and Pennsylvania.  The extended moratoria will run through January 29, 2019.  Notice of the extension of the temporary moratorium will appear in the Federal Register on August 2, 2018. Section 6401(a) of the Affordable Care Act granted CMS the authority to impose temporary moratoria on the enrollment of new Medicare providers and suppliers to the extent doing so was necessary to combat fraud or abuse.  On July 31, 2013, CMS used this new authority to impose a moratorium on the enrollment of new ambulance providers in Houston, Texas and the surrounding counties.  On February 4, 2014, CMS imposed a second moratorium on newly enrolling ambulance providers in the Philadelphia metropolitan areas.  These moratoriums were subsequently extended on August 1, 2014, February 2, 2015, July 28, 2015, and February 2, 2016. On August 3, 2016, CMS announced changes to the moratoria on the enrollment of new ground ambulance suppliers. ...

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Kathy

CMS Non-Emergency Ambulance Transport Open Door Forum 7/26

Posted on by Kathy Lester

CMS Issues Data Elements and Templates for Non-Emergency Ambulance Transports (NEAT): Open Door Forum for Thursday, July 26, 2018 Just Announced As part of its Patients Over Paperwork Project, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Provider Compliance Group (PCG) has been hosting quarterly listening sessions and reviewing the Request for Information submissions. The American Ambulance Association has been actively engaged in these efforts, highlighting the recommendations we submitted to CMS and the House Ways & Means Committee last year. These recommendations included suggestions as to how CMS could streamline regulatory requirements to eliminate duplicative requirements and reduce regulatory burdens.  In addition to these efforts, CMS has been working to standardize documentation data elements and establish templates that providers and suppliers can use to help make the current documentation processes less burdensome as well. On July 24, CMS released draft documentation-related clinical data elements and clinical templates that could be used for the Physician Certification Statement, Progress Notes, and Prior Authorization requests. View the Documents. These documents are not intended to change current law. CMS also announced yesterday that it will discuss the templates on a Special Open Door Forum which is scheduled for July 26 at 2-3 pm ET. ...

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OIG Report on Overpayments For Non-Emergency Transports

Posted on by David Werfel

OIG Report – Overpayments For Non-Emergency Ambulance Transports To Non-Covered Destinations The Office of the Inspector General released its report “Medicare Improperly Paid Providers for Non Emergency Ambulance Transports to Destinations Not Covered by Medicare“. In sum, the OIG reviewed claims that Medicare paid for 2014 – 2016 non-emergency ambulance transports. The review focused on transports to non-covered destinations. OIG found that $8,633,940 was paid by Medicare for non-emergency ambulance transports under codes A0425 (ground mileage), A0426 (ALS non-emergency) and A0428 (BLS non-emergency) during this period of time. The review was based solely on the claims and not based on a medical review or interviews of providers. The claims that should not have been paid were to the following destinations: 59% – to diagnostic or therapeutic sites other than a hospital or physician’s office, that did not originate at a SNF. 31% – to a residence or assisted living facility (and not meeting the origin/destination requirement).  6% – to the scene of an acute event.  4% – to a destination code not used for ambulance claims or where no destination modifier was used. <1% – to a physician’s office. OIG recommended (and CMS agreed) that CMS: Notify the Medicare Administrative...

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CMS Open Door Forum & Follow Up AAA Member Q&A Call – Thursday, June 14

Posted on by AAA Staff

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has scheduled its next Ambulance Open Door Forum for Thursday, June 14 at 2:00 PM Eastern. If you plan to attend, please dial in at least 15 minutes before the call. CMS Ambulance Open Door Forum June 14 | 2:00 PM ET Participant Dial-In Number:  1-800-837-1935 Conference ID #: 33271311 Questions? Have more questions? The AAA is here to help! Following the Open Door Forum, the AAA will host a Q&A conference call open to all members. AAA Follow Up Q&A June 14 | 3:00 PM ET 1-800-250-2600 Pin: 73556603# Speakers: AAA Senior Vice President of Government Affairs, Tristan North; AAA Medicare Consultant, Brian Werfel, Esq.; AAA Healthcare Lobbyist, Kathy Lester, Esq.; AAA Medicare Regulatory Committee Chair, Rebecca Williamson; and AAA Medicare Regulatory Committee Vice-Chair, Angie McLain