MDS Alert
MDS News To Use
If you obtain a National Provider Identifier (NPI), make sure to enter it correctly at W1. Coding an NPI in the new Section W is optional until May 23, 2007, when the Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act mandates providers conducting electronic transactions to use the identifier. Thus, nursing home providers that obtain and code their NPI on the MDS will be ahead of the compliance curve.
The NPI coded at W1 has to match the NPI in the header record.
Watch out: If you submit [an NPI at W1] with dashes or embedded spaces--or if the identifier is something other than the 10 numeric digits--you'll get a fatal error message, explains Peter Arbuthnot, regulatory industry analyst for American HealthTech Inc., an MDS software provider in Jackson, MS. A fatal error means the state database didn't accept the MDS. And you aren't supposed to bill Medicare for days covered by an MDS until the assessment is in the state repository.
"So check the validation reports the first time you submit the NPI to ensure the MDS was accepted by the state database," Arbuthnot advises.
Providers may apply for their NPI on the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System Web site at https://nppes.cms.hhs.gov.
Editor's note: Read a new Medlearn Matters article on Medicare's implementation of the NPI at www.cms.hhs.gov/medlearn/matters/mmarticles/2005/SE0555.pdf.
MDS Alert
- Medicare Payment:
Take Steps So The New RUGs Don't Trip You Up
Ramp up now for the revamped RUG system
Starting Jan. 1, the RUGs will expand from [...] - Coding Quizzer:
Know The Definition Of Abnormal Labs At P9
How would you code this example?
Mrs. J is receiving Coumadin for DVT. She has elevated [...] - MDS Coding:
Master Nuances Of Coding Flu Immunization In Section W2
The new section requires a step-by-step process to complete correctly.
If you're still wondering what Section [...] - Resident Assessment:
Climb The Decision-Making Tree For W2b
Cover these bases to ensure residents receive flu vaccination.
To code W2 correctly and boost your [...] - Clip 'N' Save
- Case Study:
Follow This Facility's Lead To Validate IVs And Other Treatments In Hospital Lookback
Get your documentation in a row for the new RUG system.
If you don't want to [...] - Medicare Billing:
Shake Loose The Old RUGs From The New For Assessments Spanning 2005-2006
If you don't, you can get hit with payment recoupments.
As the new year approaches, ringing [...] - Medicare Compliance:
Protect Your SNF Against Fiscal Illness--Code Physician Visits, Orders Correctly
Undercoding P7 or P8 can cost your resident a RUG.
Physician visits and orders can be [...] - What Do You Think?
Should SNFs and NFs schedule medically necessary physician visits during a resident's PPS MDS lookback [...] - Medication Review:
Let Section O Open The Door To Improved QIs, Care Planning
Did you know Section O packs this wealth of info?
Take a close look at Section [...] - RAI Manual Compliance:
Include These Items On Your 'Do Not Code List' For P7, P8
Use this 'cheat sheet' to avoid accidentally cheating Medicare
Stamp out compliance woes and overpayments by [...] - MDS News To Use
If you obtain a National Provider Identifier (NPI), make sure to enter it correctly at [...]
