Medicare & Regulatory Issues
RACs Are Here To Stay in 2010
Section 302 of the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006 makes the Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) Program permanent and requires the Secretary to expand the program to all 50 states by 2010. Physicians are encouraged to monitor their RAC's website, as RACs are required to post the issues on which they are focusing their audits. Physicians should respond to a RAC request right away if they realize that they will be unable to meet the RAC-requested deadline. RACs are not able to look at claims older than October 1, 2007.
RAC Websites
- Region A: Diversified Collection Services
- Region B: CGI
- Region C: Connolly Consulting
- Region D: HealthDataInsights
Read a related story for more details and information.
RAC Problems?
If you have experienced a particular problem with your Recovery Audit Contractors (RAC)—or with the audit program in general—let us know. We are interested in tracking the problems and seeing where the trends lie. Contact Katie Kuechenmeister at kkuechenmeister@aan.com with your story.
Related Articles
Electronic Health Records Demonstration Now Available
Neurology Medicare Carrier Advisory Committee (NeuroCAC)
CMS mandates that each Medicare carrier have a Carrier Advisory Committee (CAC) in every state to help with payment and policy issues.
CAC representatives assist in drafting Medicare Local Coverage Determinations (LCDs). To search and view carrier LCDs, visit the CMS website.
Read a Q&A document about the NeuroCAC, published in the May 1, 2007, issue of Neurology Today®.
CMS to Award Contracts for MACs
During the initial implementation phase (2005–2011), CMS plans to compete and award contracts for 15 A/B Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) servicing the majority of all types of providers (both Part A and Part B). CMS designed the new MAC jurisdictions to balance the allocation of workloads, promote competition, account for integration of claims processing activities, and mitigate the risk to the Medicare program during the transition to the new contractors.
Identify my Part A/B MAC (MAC).
New E-Prescribing Incentive for 2009
There is a new incentive program available to eligible professionals who are successful electronic prescribers; the new program supplements the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI). Reporting periods for the program are one year in length and the incentive is based on covered professional services by the eligible provider during the reporting year. In addition, under MIPAA, there is a provision that quality measures that can be reported for the purposes of participating in the PQRI cannot include e-Prescribing measures.
CMS has developed a guide to assist eligible professionals in participating in the program.
Compliance Program Guidance
Neurologists interested in the typical regulatory requirements that their offices must meet can review the compliance program laid out by the Office of Inspector General. The guidance is targeted at solo and small group physician practices.
IDTF Questions?
If you have questions about Independent Diagnostic Testing Facilities (IDTF) issues—such as requirements or enrolling as an IDTF—please contact Katie Kuechenmeister at kkuechenmeister@aan.com or 651-695-2783.
