Medicare Claims Processing after July 1

Congress recessed without resolving the Medicare payment fix and will revisit legislation after the July 4th recess. In order to limit disruptions of Medicare physician payments, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will not process Medicare physician fee for service claims dated July 1 and thereafter, during the first 10 business days in July, instructing their contractors to hold the claims. Under current law, electronic claims are not paid until 14 days (29 days for paper claims) after the date of receipt, so this action should have minimal impact on provider cash flow. Claims for services provided July 1 and thereafter should reflect the same rates paid for services during the first half of 2008; however, patient co-payments should be collected based on the revised fee schedule effective July 1, as provided by the Medicare carrier. Medicare will make payments and adjustments once the legislature resolves the Medicare physician payment issue. Watch for email updates here and via AAOS Advocacy Now.
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