Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Minor errors or omissions outside the appeals process FAQ

Can minor errors or omissions be corrected outside of the appeals process?

 Yes. A clerical error reopening can be initiated via the telephone or in writing; or, in many cases, the denied service(s) can simply be resubmitted. Resubmitting claims to correct minor clerical errors or omissions is the most efficient method for addressing certain denied services.*

*Resubmit the denied service(s) ONLY - resubmitting an entire claim will create a duplicate denial.

If these issues are received via written and telephone requests, it may take up to 60 days to process and finalize an adjustment, versus 14-30 days for a resubmitted claim. Ensure that you review the type of clerical error or omission you are attempting to correct and select the most efficient option available.

Note: Single-line clerical reopenings can now be requested through the Part B Interactive Voice Response unit (IVR).

Determine if the error can be corrected and resubmitted prior to writing in or calling to request a clerical error reopening.

• Minor clerical errors or omissions that can be corrected and resubmitted:

• Change of diagnosis codes

• Add, change, or delete modifiers (e.g., 24, 25, 50, 59, 78, 79, RT, LT)

• Incorrect place of service

• Written or telephone clerical error reopenings are appropriate only for services that were processed and received an approved amount, and could include the following types of situations:

• Number of services (NB) billed

• Submitted charge amount

• Date of service (DOS)

• Add, change or delete certain modifiers

• Procedure code; excluding codes requiring documentation on the initial submission or codes being upcoded

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Medicare physician fee schedule - Quick overview

Medicare Part B pays for physician services based on the PFS, which lists the more than 7,400 unique
covered services and their payment rates. Physicians’ services include the following:

* Office visits;
* Surgical procedures;
* Anesthesia services; and
* A range of other diagnostic and therapeutic services.


Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Payment Rates

Payment rates for an individual service are based on
three components:
1) Relative Value Units (RVU)
2) Conversion Factor (CF)
3) Geographic Practice Cost Indices (GPCI)


Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Payment Rates Formula


The Medicare PFS payment rates formula is shown below:

[(Work RVU x Work GPCI) + (PE RVU x PE GPCI) +
(MP RVU x MP GPCI)] x CF

Medicare fee schedule download