Question: I heard that the switch to combined Part A/Part B Medicare contractors will make proper reporting of technical and professional services even more important. Is this true?
North Dakota Subscriber
You heard correctly--a regional contractor will be able to compare office and hospital services more easily.
Example: You code for a physician who participates in block design. You report 77333 (Treatment devices, design, and construction; intermediate [multiple blocks, stents, bite blocks, special bolus]) and append 26 (Professional component).
If the facility reports the technical component of block creation with 77332 (... simple [simple block, simple bolus]), the contractor will be able to catch the discrepancy, which could lead to denials.
Good news: Having a single office handle all claims for a region should boost efficiency.
The first combined Part A/Part B Medicare contractor will start July 2007, covering Arizona, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Utah, CMS officials told the June 27 Physician Open-Door Forum. CMS named Noridian Administrative Services the contractor for this region.
Read more at
www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNMattersArticles/downloads/SE0642.pdf. Stay tuned for updates.