Home Health & Hospice Week

AMay 6 deadline could stop your cash flow, even if you're not in one of the 15 states Cahaba GBA serves.

CIGNA Government Services will take over Cahaba's home health and hospice contract for Medicare in mid-June. In advance of that deadline, CIGNA is requiring providers served by Cahaba to submit a new CMS-588 EFT Authorization Agreement and other paperwork (see Eli's HCW, Vol. XX, No. 11, p. 88).

"Cahaba, for many years, was the alternative Medicare Intermediary for all states (except Iowa)," notes Mark Sharp with BKD in Spring field, Mo. "Accordingly, the 5/6/11 deadline for Cahaba providers to establish EFT with CIGNA affects not only those in the states listed, but anyone who has Cahaba as their Medicare Intermediary," Sharp tells Eli.

And if you don't get your new EFT and related documentation in, you won't get Medicare payments once the switchover occurs June 13. "I suspect many providers with Cahaba ... are unaware of the importance of the 5/6 deadline for submission of the request for EFT," Sharp says.

"It is imperative that HH+H providers complete an EFT Authorization Agreement and return it to CIGNA Government Services no later than May 6, 2011," the new HHH MAC stresses on its website. A tutorial with step-by-step instructions on completing the new EFT is at https://www.cignagovernmentservices.com/captivate/J15588/CMS588Form.htm.