Home Health & Hospice Week

Count the 12-month deadline from your 'through' date.

The one-year filing deadline for Medicare claims included in the health reform law enacted this year won't be quite as narrow as it first seemed.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services originally issued instructions to count the 12-month time frame from claims' "From" date. But in a new transmittal and MLN Matters article, CMS says that providers using "from" and "through" date spans can use their "through" date for the deadline.

That applies to home health agencies, points out the National Association for Home Care & Hospice.

The new rule doesn't apply to claims for durable medical equipment or supplies filed on 1500 forms, though, CMS points out in the MLN Matters article. In those cases, the 12-month clock will start with the "from" date. If claims contain a span containing the deadline, "Medicare contractors will split the line item and deny untimely services as not timely filed," CMS explains.

Resources: The transmittal is at http://www.cms.gov/Transmittals/downloads/R734OTN.pdf and the MLN Matters article is at http://www.cms.gov/MLNMattersArticles/downloads/MM7080.pdf.