Industry Notes:
Medicare System Shorts HHAs 2 Months For Timely Filing
Published on Fri Feb 18, 2011
Watch out: Under timely filing rules you may have only 10 months instead of 12 to submit your Medicare claims. Why? As of Jan. 1, CMS requires providers to submit claims within 12 months of the date of service. The agency clarified that for home health agency claims, the 12-month window will be counted from the "through" date. However, Medicare billing instructions require agencies to use the same "from" and "through" date on the request for anticipated payment (RAP), points out the National Association for Home Care & Hospice in its member newsletter. Because "a final claim cannot be processed without a corresponding RAP in the system ... home health agencies are essentially being 'shorted' by two months of the one-year timely filing period," the trade group warns. In other words, a final claim with a "through" date within the 12-month window can't be processed if a corresponding RAP with [...]