Home Health & Hospice Week

Don’t expect reimbursement from appealed claims yet.

CMS is finally correcting recoupments it made in error for supposedly incarcerated beneficiaries, but you’ll have to wait to reconcile your accounts receivable.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has begun making refunds of incorrect takebacks and expects "the majority" to be resolved by mid-December, it says in a new Frequently Asked Question document on the matter.

Exception: "Appealed claims will be handled separately and, where appropriate, refunds will be generated at a later date," the FAQ says.

"If you have received a refund check and are in need of additional remittance details," you’ll have to wait another week or so, says HHH Medi-care Administrative Contractor National Govern-ment Services in a Dec. 4 message to providers. "You are assured of receiving those details in a separate letter, postmarked by 12/12/13, and we are requesting your patience in awaiting that information," the MAC continues.

Resource: See more details about the de-nials and refund process at www.cms.gov/Medicare/Medicare-Contracting/FFSProvCustSvcGen/2013-Claim-Denials-Due-to-Beneficiary-Incarceration-Status.html. A link to the FAQs is in the "Down-loads" section at the bottom of the page.