Industry Notes:
RHHI Gives Managed Care Billing Answers
Published on Wed Sep 08, 2010
Billing for HHA services to Medicare Advantage-enrolled patients can be a big head-ache. One regional home health intermediary has some billing advice, but it may not be exactly what agencies want to hear. For example: You'll have to wait for the MA plan to update the patient's termination date to bill for a patient who disenrolls and is eligible for regular Medicare coverage. "If the termination date is not updated [in the Common Working File], final claims will reject," RHHI Palmetto GBA warns in a new question-and-answer on its website. Once the termination date is updated, you should bill Medicare for a new start of care beginning with the first billable visit after the termination date, Palmetto instructs. More MA tips: HHAs should discharge patients when they enroll in an MA plan, Palmetto advises. Use a "06" patient status code. And if you're trying to figure out who in the [...]