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Posting Date: 11/04/2020
Patient Discharge Disposition Code
Patient Discharge Disposition Code Improper payments due to discharge disposition codes are costly to the Medicare Program and are easily preventable. The CERT contractor has issued errors related to the discharge disposition codes that may [...]
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Posting Date: 09/29/2020
Debridement Services
Debridement Services Insufficient documentation causes most improper payments. Insufficient documentation means that something was missing from the medical records. Below is a list of the most common reasons CERT determined there was [...]
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Posting Date: 09/24/2020
Chronic Care Management
Chronic Care Management Insufficient documentation causes most improper payments. Insufficient documentation means that something was missing from the medical records. Below is a list of the most common reasons CERT determined there was [...]
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Posting Date: 07/09/2020
Total Joint Arthroplasty
Total Joint Arthroplasty Insufficient documentation causes most improper payments. Insufficient documentation means that something was missing from the medical records. Providers can help prevent CERT errors on total joint arthroplasty by [...]
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Posting Date: 05/12/2020
Botulinum Toxin Injections for Chronic Headaches
Botulinum Toxin Injections for Chronic Headaches Insufficient documentation causes most improper payments. Insufficient documentation means that something was missing from the medical records. Below is a list of the most common reasons CERT [...]
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Posting Date: 05/05/2020
Home Health Care Requirements for a Plan of Care
Home Health Care Requirements for a Plan of Care The HHA must be acting upon a physician plan of care that meets the requirements of this section for HHA services to be covered. For HHA services to be covered, the individualized plan of care [...]
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Posting Date: 03/30/2020
Chiropractic Services
Chiropractic Services Insufficient Documentation Causes Most Improper Payments. Insufficient documentation means that something was missing from the medical records. Below is a list of the most common reasons CERT determined there was [...]
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Posting Date: 05/18/2020
Amending Medical Records
Amending Medical Records Amendments, Corrections and Delayed Entries in Medical Documentation All services provided to beneficiaries are expected to be documented in the medical record at the time they are rendered. [...]
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Posting Date: 12/17/2019
Continuous Cycling Peritoneal Dialysis
Continuous Cycling Peritoneal Dialysis We have experienced an increasing number of CERT errors due to documentation requirements not being met. Below is a list of the most common reasons CERT determined there was insufficient documentation [...]
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Posting Date: 11/01/2019
Cologuard TM Multitarget Stool DNA Test
CologuardTM Multitarget Stool DNA Test Insufficient Documentation Causes Most Improper Payments. Insufficient documentation means that something was missing from the medical records. Below is a list of the most common reasons CERT determined [...]
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Posting Date: 01/29/2021
Hemodialysis Treatment
Hemodialysis Treatment Insufficient documentation means that something was missing from the medical records. Below is a list of the most common reasons CERT determined there was insufficient documentation that caused improper payments for [...]
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Posting Date: 01/29/2021
Psychiatry and Psychology Services
Psychiatry and Psychology Services CERT has determined that insufficient documentation caused improper payments for psychiatry and psychotherapy; insufficient documentation means that information was missing from the medical [...]
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Posting Date: 05/28/2020
Hospital Discharge Summary: Insufficient Documentation Causes Most Improper Payments
Hospital Discharge Summary: Insufficient Documentation Causes Most Improper Payments Insufficient documentation means that something was missing from the medical records. Below is a list of the most common reasons CERT determined there [...]
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Posting Date: 01/29/2021
Bill Inpatient or Outpatient Services
Bill Inpatient or Outpatient Services To help avoid denials, National Government Services has compiled information regarding references that will aid in determining whether to bill inpatient or outpatient services. CMS Medicare Learning [...]
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Posting Date: 01/29/2021
Process for Requesting Medical Records
Process for Requesting Medical Records Additional Documentation Requests INITIAL ADR letters for CERT are sent to the address on file with the NSC for DMEPOS suppliers, or the MAC for the provider/supplier that billed/submitted the [...]
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Posting Date: 01/29/2021
Inpatient Psychiatric Certification/Recertification/Delayed Certification
Inpatient Psychiatric Certification/Recertification/Delayed Certification Physicians are required to certify the medical necessity of inpatient services. This is required on admission and if the service is needed for an extended period of [...]
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Posting Date: 01/19/2022
Physician Documentation Requirements for Certification of Home Health Care
Physician Documentation Requirements for Certification of Home Health Care Medicare has changed the physician documentation requirements for certification of home health care for dates of service effective 1/1/2015. While clinicians still need [...]
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Posting Date: 01/29/2021
SNF Inpatient Stays
SNF Inpatient Stays The CERT contractor has seen increased denials of SNF inpatient stays due to missing or incomplete physician certification statement of medical necessity. Certification of medical necessity of inpatient skilled nursing [...]
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Posting Date: 02/12/2016
Physician Orders to Admit to Inpatient Hospital or for Observation Services
Physician Orders to Admit to Inpatient Hospital or for Observation Services Lack of a formal order for inpatient admission or observation services results in an increase of the CERT error rate for National Government Services. CERT auditors [...]
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Posting Date: 01/29/2021
Pacemakers and Cardiac Defibrillators
Pacemakers and Cardiac Defibrillators National Government Services would like to alert providers that although coverage indications of pacemakers and implantable cardiac defibrillators was revised and expanded effective with dates of service [...]
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Posting Date: 11/14/2024
MLN Connects® Newsletter: November 14, 2024
MLN Connects® Newsletter: November 14, 2024 News 2025 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles Medicare Participation for CY 2025 Ambulance Fee Schedule: CY 2025 Final Policies Prior Authorization Review Timeframe Change [...]
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Posting Date: 11/14/2024
November 21st is The Great American Smokeout
November 21st is The Great American Smokeout You Can Help Your Patients Quit Smoking Smoking is one of the leading causes of heart disease and stroke. At least 70% of cigarette smokers see a clinician annually and many want to quit. Each [...]
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Posting Date: 11/14/2024
Part B Claims Denied with Error 524B
An error in CWF processing has not yet been fully corrected. The error is occurring when Demo Codes A5 (Making Care Primary-MCP) or A6 (Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience-GUIDE) are on the claim and the HIC on the claim has an active MSP [...]
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Posting Date: 05/05/2021
IVR Conversion Table
Conversion Chart for Patient Names Conversion Chart for Beneficiary HICN/MBI/PTAN/DCN Letter Conversion Letter Conversion A 2 A *21 B 2 B *22 C 2 C *23 [...]
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Posting Date: 11/14/2024
Using the IVR
Table of Contents MBI Phonetic Alphabet Now Available Tips MBI Phonetic Alphabet IVR Conversion Tool [Return to Top] MBI Phonetic Alphabet Now Available To assist you when speaking the MBI, we have implemented the MBI phonetic [...]
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Posting Date: 06/23/2021
When to Use the Provider Contact Center Versus Self-Service Tools
When to Use the Provider Contact Center Versus Self-Service Tools The CMS requires contractors to provide self-service and electronic communication technologies as efficient, cost effective means of disseminating Medicare provider information, [...]
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Posting Date: 11/08/2019
Prothrombin Time
Prothrombin Time We have experienced an increasing number of CERT errors due to documentation requirements not being met. Below is a list of the most common reasons CERT determined there was insufficient documentation that caused improper [...]
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Posting Date: 10/15/2019
Diagnostic Mammography
Diagnostic Mammography Insufficient Documentation Causes Most Improper Payments. Insufficient documentation means that something was missing from the medical records. Below is a list of the most common reasons CERT determined there was [...]
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Posting Date: 09/20/2019
Prolonged Services
Prolonged Services Insufficient documentation causes most improper payments. Insufficient documentation means that something was missing from the medical records. Below is a list of the most common reasons CERT determined there was [...]
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Posting Date: 06/27/2019
Annual Wellness Visit
Annual Wellness Visit Insufficient documentation means that something was missing from the medical records. Below is a list of the most common reasons CERT determined there was insufficient documentation that caused improper payments for an [...]
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Posting Date: 01/29/2021
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Treatment
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Treatment Insufficient documentation is documentation that was incomplete, inaccurate or was missing from the medical records. Below is a list of the most common reasons CERT determined there was insufficient [...]
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Posting Date: 01/29/2021
Surgery Services
Surgery Services Insufficient documentation means that something was missing from the medical records. Below is a list of the most common reasons CERT determined there was insufficient documentation that caused improper payments for [...]
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Posting Date: 01/29/2021
Medication Administration
Medication Administration Insufficient documentation means something was missing from the medical records. Below is a list of the most common reasons CERT determined there was insufficient documentation that caused improper payments for [...]
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Posting Date: 01/29/2021
Ambulance Services
Ambulance Services Insufficient documentation means that something was missing from the medical records. Below is a list of the most common reasons CERT determined there was insufficient documentation that caused improper payments for [...]
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Posting Date: 01/29/2021
Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy
Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy Insufficient documentation means that something was missing from the medical records. Below are the most common reasons CERT determined there was insufficient documentation that caused improper payments for [...]
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Posting Date: 01/29/2021
Anesthesia Services
Anesthesia Services Insufficient documentation means something was missing from the medical records. Below is a list of the most common reasons CERT determined there was insufficient documentation that caused improper payments for [...]
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Posting Date: 01/29/2021
Diagnostic Testing Services
Diagnostic Testing Services Insufficient documentation means something was missing from the medical records. Below is a list of the most common reasons CERT determined there was insufficient documentation that caused improper payments for [...]
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Posting Date: 01/29/2021
Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement
Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement The CMS CERT program produces a national Medicare FFS error rate, as required by the Improper Payments Information Act. CMS strives to eliminate improper payments in the Medicare Program to maintain the [...]
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Posting Date: 01/29/2021
Part A to Part B Claims (Rebilling) Submissions
Submitting Part A to Part B Claims (Rebilling) Submissions Administrator’s Ruling CMS 1455-R The Administrator’s Ruling CMS 1455-R, issued on 3/13/2013 established an interim process for hospitals to use to submit claims for Part B [...]
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Posting Date: 01/29/2021
Inpatient Hospital Surgery
Inpatient Hospital Surgery National Government Services would like to alert providers on one of the highest dollar and most avoidable denials from the CERT contractor: submitting documentation relating to inpatient hospital surgeries. [...]
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