Eli's Rehab Report

If you're providing rehab services in Connecticut or New York, be prepared to send your Medicare claims to a new payer later this year. CMS recently awarded National Government Services (NGS) a contract to administer Part A and Part B Medicare claims payment in these states, according to a March 18 press release.

This makes NGS the new Part A/Part B Medicare Administrative Contractor (A/B MAC) for New York and Connecticut. NGS will immediately begin implementation activities and will assume full responsibility for the claims processing work in its jurisdiction no later than November 2008, CMS announced.

Background: NGS, headquartered in Indianapolis, is the sixth new A/B MAC named by CMS, and the agency expects a total of 15 new A/B MACs to cover every state and the District of Columbia by 2011. CMS awarded the first A/B MAC contract in July 2006 to Noridian Administrative Services, headquartered in Fargo, N.D.

When contracting reform is fully implemented, all the Medicare fiscal intermediaries and carriers will be replaced by MACs responsible for both Part A and Part B claims processing. For beneficiaries and providers, the new structure will mean that they each will have a single point of contact with the Medicare program, CMS said.

When it becomes operational, the A/B MAC for Connecticut and New York will be the contact for all Medicare providers and physicians in the two states, while beneficiaries will pose their claims-related questions to a Beneficiary Contact Center, the release said.

Other states: To see a list of new contractors and the states they cover, visit http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MedicareContractingReform/.