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February 2023 Medicare Transmittals, MLN Articles and Coverage Updates

Published on 

Wednesday, March 1, 2023

 | Billing 
 | Coding 
 | Documentation 

Medicare Transmittals & MLN Articles

January 24, 2023: MLN MM12865: Provider Enrollment: Regulatory Changes Make sure your staff knows about recent enrollment changes, including Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) screening and fingerprinting requirements, screening of certain changes of ownership, and screening for “bump-ups.” https://www.cms.gov/files/document/mm12865-provider-enrollment-regulatory-changes.pdf

 

January 27, 2023: MLN MM13063: Rural Health Clinic & Federally Qualified Health Center Medicare Benefit Policy Manual Update This article highlights key 2022 and 2023 updates for Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) for example, effective January 1, 2023, RHCs and FQHCs are paid for chronic pain management (CPM) services when a minimum of 30 minutes of qualifying non-face-to-face CPM services are provided during a calendar month. https://www.cms.gov/files/document/mm13063-rural-health-clinic-federally-qualified-health-center-medicare-benefit-policy-manual-update.pdf

 

February 2, 2023: MLN MM13017: Removal of a National Coverage Determination & Expansion of Coverage of Colorectal Cancer Screening This article details removal of NCD 160.22 Ambulatory Electroencephalographic (EEG) Monitoring, the minimum age for certain colorectal screening tests (CRC) decreasing from 50 to 45, and expansion of the definition of CRC screening tests and new billing instructions for colonoscopies under certain scenarios. https://www.cms.gov/files/document/mm13017-removal-national-coverage-determination-expansion-coverage-colorectal-cancer-screening.pdf

 

February 2, 2023: MLN MM13052: New Payment Adjustments for Domestic N95 Respirators Under the OPPS & IPPS, CMS is providing payment adjustments to hospitals for National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) approved surgical N95 respirators cost differential. To be reimbursable by Medicare, NIOSH-approved surgical N95 respirators must be wholly made in the United States. Action needed related to this MLN article is to make sure your reimbursement staff know about the cost reporting period changes and documentation requirements starting January 1, 2023. https://www.cms.gov/files/document/mm13052-new-payment-adjustments-domestic-n95-respirators.pdf

 

February 2, 2023: MLN MM13082: Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule & Laboratory Services Subject to Reasonable Charge Payment: Quarterly Update The next CLSF data reporting period for Clinical Diagnostic Laboratory Tests (CDLTs) is delayed until January 1- March 31, 2024. This article also provides information about the general specimen collection fee increase and new and discontinued HCPCS codes. https://www.cms.gov/files/document/mm13082-clinical-laboratory-fee-schedule-laboratory-services-subject-reasonable-charge-payment.pdf

 

MLN MM12103: Extension of Changes to the Low-Volume Hospital Payment Adjustment & the Medicare Dependent Hospital Program Affected Providers includes Low-volume hospitals and Medicare-dependent hospitals (MDHs). This article includes information and criteria and payment adjustments for FY 2023 and the extension of the MDH program through September 30, 2023. https://www.cms.gov/files/document/mm13103-extension-changes-low-volume-hospital-payment-adjustment-medicare-dependent-hospital-program.pdf 

Revised Transmittals & MLN Articles

  

December 14, 2022 – Revised January 23, 2023: MLN MM13031: Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System: January 2023 Update This article was revised due to a revision to Change Request (CR) 13031 updating tables 5 and 6 and added table 20 to update the pass-through status of 5 devices to extend pass-through status for a 1-year period starting on January 1, 2023. https://www.cms.gov/files/document/mm13031-hospital-outpatient-prospective-payment-system-january-2023-update.pdf

 

Coverage Updates

February 6, 2023: MLN MM13070: ICD-10 & Other Coding Revisions to National Coverage Determinations: July 2023 Update NCDs with changes effective July 1, 2023 includes: NCD 20.4 – Implantable Cardiac Defibrillators (ICDs), NCD 20.7 – Percutaneous Transluminal Angioplasty (PTA), NCD 20.20 External Counterpulsation Therapy, NCD 150.3 – Bone Density Studies, NDC 150.10 – Lumbar Artificial Disc Replacement (LADR), NCD 210.1 – Prostate Cancer Screening, and NCD 220.13 – Percutaneous Image-Guided Breast Biopsy. https://www.cms.gov/files/document/mm13070-icd-10-other-coding-revisions-national-coverage-determinations-july-2023-update.pdf

 

February 23, 2023: Transmittal 11875 (Change Request 13073): NCD 50.3 – Cochlear Implantation Manual Update The purposed of this CR is to update manuals with the revised eligibility criteria for the cochlear implantation NCD that is expanding beneficiary coverage for treatment of bilateral pre- or post-linguistic, sensorineural, moderate-to-profound hearing loss in individuals who demonstrate limited benefit from amplification.

 

 

Article Author: Beth Cobb, RN, BSN, ACM, CCDS
Beth Cobb, RN, BSN, ACM, CCDS, is the Manager of Clinical Analytics at Medical Management Plus, Inc. Beth has over twenty-five years of experience in healthcare including eleven years in Case Management at a large multi-facility health system. In her current position, Beth is a principle writer for MMP’s Wednesday@One weekly e-newsletter, an active member of our HIPAA Compliance Committee, MMP’s Education Department Program Director and co-developer of MMP’s proprietary Compliance Protection Assessment Tool.

This material was compiled to share information.  MMP, Inc. is not offering legal advice. Every reasonable effort has been taken to ensure the information is accurate and useful.