SSNRI and What it Means for EMS Agency What is SSNRI SSNRI is the Social Security Number Removal Initiative. The Federal Government is mandating that all Social Security Numbers (SSNs) be removed from Medicare cards by April 2019. A new number called the MBI- Medicare Beneficiary Number will replace the long-standing SSN-based Health Insurance Claim […]
New “Locality Rule”, New Problem Let’s Review If you’ve followed this space or have been connected to the EMS billing world for a fair amount of time, you should recognize the impact of the phrases “nearest hospital” and “closest appropriate facility.” Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) rules for Medicare clearly stipulate that Medicare […]
The Do’s and Don’t’s of PCS Signatures Signature Focus The Physician Certification Statement (PCS), required by Medicare for all non-emergency transports, can confuse even the seasoned ambulance administrator and billing office. While the document itself can be confusing, determining the person who can properly sign can be an even more confusing scenario. Requirement… The Center […]
Compliance by Accident…is an Accident Waiting to Happen! Out of Sight…Out of Mind How many of you reading this blog, right now, have a compliance plan located somewhere in your office or somewhere in the station? You know what I mean, that big binder book with a lot of paper, plenty of words that seemingly […]
Why is S. 967 So Important to the Ambulance Industry? Part IV S.967- Part IV Today we land Part IV of our blog posts dedicated to helping us all understand the importance of Senate Bill 967 entitled the “Medicare Ambulance Access, Fraud Prevention and Reform Act of 2017.” In that opening post, we explained that […]
Why is S. 967 So Important to the Ambulance Industry? Part III Three weeks ago, we began the first of four consecutive blog posts dedicated to helping us all understand the importance of Senate Bill 967 entitled the “Medicare Ambulance Access, Fraud Prevention and Reform Act of 2017.” In that opening post, we explained that […]
Why is S. 967 So Important to the Ambulance Industry? Part II S.967- Part II Last week, we opened this space with the first of four blog posts dedicated to helping us all understand the importance of Senate Bill 967 entitled the “Medicare Ambulance Access, Fraud Prevention and Reform Act of 2017.” In that opening […]
Why is S. 967 So Important to the Ambulance Industry? Part I April 27, 2017 Certain dates in history stand out as pivotal to the course and direction of the United States of America. April 27, 2017 will almost certainly stand out as one of those dates for the American ambulance industry if Senate Bill […]
Railroad Medicare Cites 32.6% Error Rate for Second Quarter of FY 2017 Review Complete Yesterday, Palmetto GBA, the Medicare Administrative Contractor for the Railroad Medicare program, announced that they have completed their widespread review of BLS Non-Emergency ambulance service claims from January through March of 2017. This comprises their announced review for the Second Quarter […]
The Power of EMS in Politics- Again! EMS “News” In most areas across the United States, EMS is stressed and much of the stress has to do with reimbursement policy at the government level that fails to recognize what it takes to keep EMS going financially. The largest ambulance service in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, nonprofit […]
