Home Health & Hospice Week

Stay tuned about what to do with your claims erroneously denied by Palmetto GBA for lacking a physician enrolled in PECOS. The problem: Providers were "receiving reason code 32072 which states 'FOR HOME HEALTH CLAIMS (32X AND 33X) THE ATTENDING PHYSICIAN ON THE PECOS PHYSICIAN FILE HAS A TERMINATION DATE PRESENT AND IT IS EQUAL TO OR LESS THAN THE CLAIM FROM DATE OF SERVICE,'" Palmetto notes on its website. The solution: "This reason code edit has been deactivated," the HHH Medicare Administra-tive Contractor says. But it's unclear if Palmetto will automatically fix the claims denied in error. "Palmetto GBA will advise if provider action is necessary on those claims that were denied," it says. The edits were turned on in error in relation to instructions CMS gave its MACs regarding processing of information on physicians who opt out of Medicare, NAHC says.