Wednesday, November 27, 2013

QHi and How CRHC Can Help

Quality Health Indicators (QHi) is a user driven program specifically designed to facilitate benchmarking for small rural facilities. Taking part in QHi is free for CAHs. Participants benchmark against self-defined peer groups to learn from the best practices of other organizations in order to adopt new processes in 4 categories:
  • Clinical Quality
  • Financial and Operational
  • Employee Contribution
  • Patient Satisfaction
As a proven technique for discovering and incorporating best practices into operations, benchmarking provides the opportunity to use interventions already built and tested by others, reducing the costs of making significant advances in the quality of care.

Whether you need help getting started with QHi, making sure data is submitted or analyzing your data, CRHC can help you navigate in multiple ways. Call Caleb Siem, CAH Program Manager, at 303.468.3498 for more information.

CREATE Tip of the Week - Entity Eligibility

This week’s tip focuses on what it means to be an "eligible entity" to apply for CREATE funding. Since CREATE is a part of the provider grant through CDPHE, it’s important to understand exactly what kind of EMS entity can apply for funding. All recognized training center and state approved EMS provider can apply. If an applying entity is neither, or is looking to establish a new training facility or provider program, the entity must have some mechanism in place to prove certification of learning. For example, an non-recognized EMS provider can partner with a community college or training center to sign off on students’ course work under their accreditation.

Please direct all questions about entity eligibility to Lakesha Jones, Grant Manger, at lj@couralhealth.org or Samantha Hiner, Program Coordinator at sh@coruralhealth.org. For more information on CREATE, visit our web page at http://coruralhealth.org/programs/create/.

Success stories? Photos? General comments about CREATE? We'd love to hear from you and feature your story in our blog. Email your feedback to Samantha Hiner, Programs Coordinator, at sh@coruralhealth.org.

Searching for a Local Coverage Determination (LCD)

Coming this December 2013, Novitas will begin to direct customers to the Medicare Coverage Database (MCD) for retired LCDs and previous versions of currently active LCDs. This change will provide our customers with a more robust LCD search functionality. The Medical Policy page of the Novitas Solutions website will be updated to provide links and detailed instructions to search for LCDs within the MCD. Active LCDs (current versions) and draft LCDs will continue to be available on the Novitas Solutions website and within the MCD.

Active and draft LCDs can be found on the Medical Policy page of the Novitas Solutions website and via the links below.

Jurisdiction L

Jurisdiction H


Tuesday, November 26, 2013

CREATE Tip of the Week - Entity Eligibility

In past CREATE Tips of the Week, we’ve talked about participant eligibility. This week’s tip touches on entity eligibility. Eligible entities have to be either a recognized training center or state recognized EMS provider. If an applying entity is neither, the entity must have some mechanism in place to prove certification of learning. For example, an entity that is neither a training center nor state recognized EMS provider can partner with a community college or training center, as long as the partnering entity will sign off on students’ course work under their accreditation.

Please direct all questions about entity eligibility to Lakesha Jones, Grant Manger, at lj@couralhealth.org or Samantha Hiner, Program Coordinator at sh@coruralhealth.org. For more information on CREATE, visit our web page at http://coruralhealth.org/programs/create/.

Success stories? Photos? General comments about CREATE? We'd love to hear from you and feature your story in our blog. Email your feedback to Samantha Hiner, Programs Coordinator, at sh@coruralhealth.org.




Announcements from the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy

Funding Opportunities
1. The Federal Office of Rural Health Policy is pleased to announce the release of the fiscal year 2014 Rural Health Network Development Planning Grant Program. The purpose of this program is to assist in the development of an integrated healthcare network. A technical assistance call will be held on Tuesday, December 3, 2013 at 1:00pm EST. Applications must be submitted into grants.gov by January 16, 2014.

To access the application visit: http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/search-grants.html and type in HRSA-14-043 in the funding opportunity box.

Adobe Connect and webinar information for December 3rd:
2. Due to the government shutdown, the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy has made changes to the Rural Health Network Development funding opportunity, pushing back the due date for all applications to December 6, 2013. For more information on this funding announcement please visit http://www.grants.gov/view-opportunity.html?oppId=243713

Other Useful Information and Resources
1. CMS is requesting nominations for positions on the Advisory Panel on Hospital Outpatient Payment. Nominations are open until December 31st for the five positions. This panel advises CMS on payment changes for the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS). It also recommends levels of supervision for various outpatient therapeutic services. Panel members must have at least 5 years of relevant experience and be employed full time by an organization paid under OPPS. This is an opportunity for rural stakeholders to nominate qualified applicants with expertise on payment issues. Additional information about the panel and instructions for submitting nominations are available at: http://federalregister.gov/a/2013-26258

Novitas Service Impact Updates

As a result of recent system changes at Novitas, customers may experience the following temporary operational difficulties:
(Updated as of 11/26/2013)

Issue
Cause/Resolution
Status/Date Resolved
What Can You Do?
Not All Website Content Is Appropriately Tagged Or Split (Part A or Part B)
We are in the process of correcting website content  left from the disengagement, including:
Content is still tagged incorrectly (e.g., a JH only page may still be tagged as JL/JH and would also show in a search for JL content).
A/B content is not able to be split in search results.  Customers who select A or B will still see both A and B related search results.
 
 
11/26/2013:
Content tagged incorrectly is being corrected when identified. A manual process of splitting all content is underway. Current goal to complete this is February, 2014.
 No action is necessary.
Search Capability Is Not Functioning As Expected
Novitas is aware a search, after entering text in “Policy Search” or “Search”, cannot be initiated by pressing the “Enter” key. Using the mouse to click on or pressing the “Submit” button is necessary.
11/26/2013: Issue resolved 11/21/2013.  Pressing the “Enter” key can now be used to initiate a search on the internet
No action is necessary.
Website Content Pages Are Not Functioning Properly
We are experiencing various issues when trying to review content on our Website. Content is displaying in a small, scrolling upper portion of the browser window, rather than on the full screen.
Browser compatibility between the various versions of Internet Explorer (IE) and a few mobile devices is being investigated. Updates will be made as issues as identified to ensure all customers can effectively use our website.
11/26/2013: Functionality (small scrolling window) issues continue, with the latest versions of Apple Safari, Google Chrome, and Internet Explorer Version 9.  All IT activity available to resolve this issue has been used. Manual format conversion (HTML to Word) of a large volume of documents, needed to complete resolution of this issue, is underway.
Internet Explorer Version 9 users can resolve these issues by updating to Internet Explorer version 10.
The Planned Interactive Fee Schedule Calculator Is Not Available
Novitas is committed to having an Interactive Fee Schedule Calculator available for our customers on the Novitas Website.
Note: This information is available to our customers, but it requires redirection to the CMS website.
 
 
11/26/2013: Work to build an interactive fee schedule calculator, housed on our website, is underway.
Resolution of issues encountered since 9/30/13 is expected by mid-January.
Enhancements will follow. A projected completion date for the enhancements is yet to be determined.

 
No action is necessary.
Appeal is not in  Appeals Status Tool
Appeals received after September 23, 2013 may not be entered in the Appeals Status Tool as expected.  Therefore, this may not be an accurate method to determine if an Appeal request has been received by Novitas. 
11/26/2013: Part A & Part B –Resolution complete 11/18/2013.
Appeals will show within the status tool in approximately 1 week from the date received.
Please do not resubmit Appeal(s) or call the Customer Contact Center repeatedly as these actions compound problems. 
 
Policy Pages (e.g., LCDs, Articles, and IDEs) Are Not Functioning Properly. The Policy Center on the website is not as robust as the previous version.
We continue to experience problems with printing of some LCDs and articles directly from the website. We are working diligently on resolving this issue.
11/26/2013: The print capability is being added to policies as the need is identified.
We continue to prioritize issues and work to enhance the functionality of the policy area.

 
A Temporary work around, for policies that do not contain a print option (absence of picture of a printer and the word “Print” in the upper right corner of the screen), is as follows:
• Pull up desired policy/article
• Click within the title
• Select Edit
• Select All
• Select Edit again
• Copy
• Paste into a word document
We encourage providers to submit questions, concerns, and suggestions regarding the policy area of the website so that we can continue to enhance the webpage. Please visit the Medical Policy Center: Contact Information

 
CERT Claim ID (CID) tool is not functioning.
While coding modifications are being made, the CERT Claim ID tool is not available. Therefore, the tool cannot be used to determine the outcome of a review completed by CERT. 
11/26/2013:
Development of a solution has been initiated.  A date for resolutions has not yet been established.
Providers can email the CID toQuestcert@novitas-solutions.com .
Validation of Beneficiary Eligibility may not be processing correctly
Novitas is aware of issues with the process for validating beneficiary eligibility that is a result of an October release installed by the Fiscal Intermediary Shared System (FISS) and Common Working File (CWF) which is causing claims to reject erroneously, returning to the provider (RTP), or are unable to be processed. This issue appears to be limited to specific types of claims that are being sent back to the FISS under this new process and being applied to the claims incorrectly under certain circumstances.
Novitas, and other contractors, are working with FISS to resolve these issues.

 
11/26/2013:
Part A: Primary impact is being seen on certain Part A claims.
Part B: Impact is greatest with Veteran Affairs (VA) and centralized flu claims. A fix for many of the FISS Reason Code related issues has been implemented. We continue to validate resolution of the issue.

 
No action is necessary.
Enrollment information not in Enrollment Inquiry Status Tool
CMS-855s received after September 23, 2013 may not be entered in the Provider Enrollment Inquiry Status Tool as expected. This may not be an accurate method to determine if a CMS-855 application has been received by Novitas.
We are working diligently to correct this issue with a goal that all applications are available for viewing by mid-November.
11/26/2013: Applications received prior to October 28, 2013 are now available in the Status Tool.  Progress continues on those received after October 28, 2013.
Please do not resubmit your application as this compounds the problem. We suggest you check the status tool next week.
Enrollment determination letters are being duplicated
Due to technical issues, some providers/suppliers may have, or will, receive duplicate auto-generated letters from Novitas’ Provider Enrollment department. 
11/26/2013: A solution for this problem was installed and duplicate letters are no longer generating. Monitoring continues to ensure resolution.
We appreciate your patience while we worked to resolve this issue.             
Delays are occurring with processes (e.g., Medical Review, Claims Processing) requiringsubmission of  documentation
Due to recent system changes, technical difficulties have been encountered by Novitas Solutions’ Mailroom with respect to imaging of submitted documents such as medical records and responses to inquiries.  As a result, providers who have submitted medical records and/or other correspondence, in response to Additional Development Requests (ADR), Automated Development System (ADS) message or other communications such as submission of paperwork (PWK) may not be seeing these documents accurately reflected as such in the claims processing systems.
11/26/2013: No delays are being experienced for documents submitted via fax to image.
Delays experienced with documents, submitted via other methods continue to decrease.
Please be assured that documentation has not been “lost”.  Novitas Solutions continues to receive and process all incoming correspondence.

 
Providers should submit documents via fax to image when possible.
Please do not resubmit your documents or call the Customer Contact Center repeatedly as these actions compound problems.
 
 
Delays: Medical Review
See description above.
Part B
11/26/2013: Front-line processing of ADR/ADS letters and PWKs remains current.  Medical Review will continue to automatically reopen and work any claims that time-out.  You will receive a letter notifying you of post-pay adjudication. 
 
If you receive a non-response denial letter, please wait 10 business days before calling the Customer Contact Center or submitting an appeal. Monitor for receipt of the post-pay adjudication letter during this time-period.
Delays: Claims Processing-Part B
See description above.
11/26/2013: In the event that ADRs time-out (i.e. at day 45) for non-receipt of documentation, relative to the imaging issue, we will work directly with providers to reopen / reprocess claims accordingly.
No action is necessary.
Part B solicited cash refund checks  are not being processed timely
Novitas is experiencing delays in processing of Part B solicited cash.  Because of this delay, the automatic system offset may occur.  As a result:
Novitas will still process your check as if we were processing it on the date of receipt.  This means that if interest was automatically assessed in error and not due, it will be returned.
If your debt is resolved, we are required to apply your payment to any other outstanding Medicare debt.
If no additional monies are owed to Medicare, a check will be returned to you for any balance that remains.  
 
 
11/26/2013: Additional staff has been trained to assist with solicited cash workload. We continue making progress with increasing our daily processing level for this workload.
There is no further action you need to take.  
Long Wait Timesfor Customer Service
Receipt of a high volume of calls in our Customer Contact Center is causing longer than usual wait times.
We appreciate your patience.

 
11/26/2013:
The wait time to reach a customer service representative continue to improve. We are taking the necessary steps to further reduce any delay providers may still be experiencing is ongoing. 
 
 
No action is necessary.

Novitas appreciate your patience as we work through these issues. We will continue to provide updates as appropriate.

MLN Connects Videos on ICD-10

Are you ready to transition to ICD-10 on October 1, 2014? MLN Connects™ videos on the CMS YouTube Channel can help you prepare.

In the “ICD-10: Implementation for Physicians, Partial Code Freeze, and MS-DRG Conversion Project” video, Pat Brooks and Dr. Daniel Duvall from the Center for Medicare, Hospital and Ambulatory Policy Group discuss the transition to ICD-10 for medical diagnosis and inpatient procedure coding.

Video slideshow presentations from MLN Connects National Provider Calls:
  • August 22, 2013 – ICD-10 Basics: Keynote presentation by Sue Bowman from the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA).
  • April 18, 2013 – Begin Transitioning to ICD-10 in 2013: CMS Subject matter experts review basic information on the transition to ICD-10 and discuss implementation planning and preparation strategies.
To receive notification of upcoming MLN Connects videos and calls and the latest Medicare program information on ICD-10, subscribe to the weekly MLN Connects™ Provider eNews. Visit the Medicare Fee-for-Service Provider Resources web page for a complete list of ICD-10 articles, products, and videos from the Medicare Learning Network®.

Keep Up to Date on ICD-10
Visit the CMS ICD-10 website for the latest news and resources to help you prepare for the October 1, 2014, deadline. Sign up for CMS ICD-10 Industry Email Updatesand follow us on Twitter.

Medicare Learning Network: ICD-10 Testing

This Medicare Learning Network article is intended for Medicare providers and suppliers submitting claims to Medicare contractors (A/B Medicare Administrative Contractors (A/B MACs), Home Health and Hospice MACs (HHH MACs) and the Durable Medical Equipment MACs (DME MACs) for services to Medicare beneficiaries. The article is based on Change Request (CR) 8465, which announces plans for front-end ICD-10 testing between Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) and their trading partners.

Keep Up to Date on ICD-10
Visit the CMS ICD-10 website for the latest news and resources to help you prepare for the October 1, 2014, deadline. Sign up for CMS ICD-10 Industry Email Updatesand follow us on Twitter.

November At a Glance

Please find the link to the November edition of At a Glance below. This Department of Health Care Policy and Financing publication provides information on major initiatives including policy changes and program updates. Please feel free to share it with your colleagues.

At a Glance



Thursday, November 21, 2013

ICD-10: Less Than One Year Out

ICD-10: Less Than One Year Out

CMS is encouraging the health care industry to take advantage of the numerous ICD-10 resources available for checking progress and any actions that may be needed because the October 1, 2014 is quickly approaching.

Intro Guide to ICD-10
The CMS Intro Guide to ICD-10 explains the essential aspects of ICD-10 and offers steps and resources for preparing for October 1, 2014.

Online ICD-10 Guide
The Online ICD-10 Guide includes an overview of ICD-10 as well as information on how to transition to ICD-10 for small/medium practices, large practices, small hospitals, and payers.

Other ICD-10 Resources
Below are links to other helpful tools available on the CMS ICD-10 website:
ICD-10 Basics for Small and Rural Practices
ICD-10 Resources Flyer
Role of Clearinghouses in the ICD-10 Transition
The ICD-10 Transition: An Introduction
ICD-10 Basics for Medical Practices
Talking to Your Vendors About ICD-10: Tips for Medical Practices
ICD-10 FAQs
National ICD-10 Provider Education Teleconferences

CMS, in collaboration with Medscape, has produced videos and articles that offer tips and advice on ICD-10, along with an opportunity for physicians to earn continuing medical education credits and nurses to earn continuing education credits. CMS has recently released two new Medscape videos:
ICD-10: A Roadmap for Small Clinical Practices
ICD-10: Small Practice Guide to a Smooth Transition

Trade Association Resources
You can also reference resources from health care trade associations and medical societies. Many of these groups also host ICD-10 webinars and trainings that you can attend to get up to speed on ICD-10. Visit the ICD-10 Provider Resources page to find a list of some organizations that offer ICD-10 resources, and check with any organizations to which you belong for members-only resources.

Keep Up to Date on ICD-10
Visit the CMS ICD-10 website for the latest news and resources to help you prepare for the October 1, 2014, deadline. Sign up for CMS ICD-10 Industry Email Updates and follow us on Twitter.

Call for Public Comment: Development of Measure of Hospital Visit Rates

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has contracted with Yale New Haven Health Services Corporation/Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation (CORE) to develop risk-adjusted outcome measures for ambulatory care. As part of this project, CORE is developing a measure of unplanned hospital visits after outpatient colonoscopy.

CMS is inviting stakeholders and other interested members of the public to review and comment on the measure under development. This public comment period provides an opportunity for the widest array of interested parties to provide input on the colonoscopy measure and can prompt critical suggestions not previously considered by the measure contractor or its national technical expert panel (TEP). This email serves as the call for public comment on this measure.

The measure justification, specifications, and testing results are outlined in the Measure Information Form (MIF) and the Measure Justification Form (MJF). Additionally, you may review a summary of the TEP’s discussions on the measure. All documents are available in the ‘downloads’ section at the link below.

Please email your comments to GIambulatorymeasures@yale.edu. Comments on the measures must be received by close of business on December 6, 2013. If you are providing comments on behalf of an organization, include the organization’s name and your contact information. If you are commenting as an individual, submit identifying or contact information. Do not include personal health information in your comments. For more information and to access the above measure documents please visit https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Quality-Initiatives-Patient-Assessment-Instruments/MMS/CallforPublicComment.html. Please note that at the end of the public comment period, all comments will be posted on the website.

Please contact Julia Montague (GIambulatorymeasures@yale.edu or 203-764-5700) should you have any questions.

ICD-10: Less Than One Year Out

ICD-10: Less Than One Year Out
Matthew Albright, Director, Administrative Simplification Group 

Less than one year to implement ICD-10…so let’s talk.

No matter where you are in your transition, we hope you will take time this month to take some action on ICD-10. For its part, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is working closely with medical and trade associations, listening to their challenges and working collaboratively with them on solutions.

If you are a provider, payer, or other health care entity, you should prepare for your ICD-10 transition now. A large part of that preparation includes having conversations and building collaborations with your trading partners and vendors, as well as with your peers and professional associations. By communicating and working together, we can move toward a successful transition to ICD-10 that will improve the detail of data captured through coding and facilitate patient care coordination across clinical settings—a goal that is shared by many other CMS eHealth initiatives.

As we enter the final year of the ICD-10 transition, CMS is developing additional resources and increasing outreach to providers, payers, and vendors to help ensure industry readiness by October 1, 2014.

Based on feedback from medical and trade associations and other stakeholders, we have developed a variety of ICD-10 resources for Providers, Payers, and Vendors. These resources cover topics ranging from a basic introduction to ICD-10 to Continuing Medical Education/Continuing Education courses with a roadmap and guide for small practices. For a more in-depth explanation of how to guide a practice, hospital, or payer organization through the ICD-10 transition, CMS has created the Online ICD-10 Guide, which can be found on the Provider Resources page. The ICD-10 website also offers checklists and timelines, as well as FAQs, guides, and tips geared toward various audiences. CMS also attends conferences and hosts online events, to educate and encourage providers to transition to ICD-10.

Our health care partner associations also offer resources and trainings on ICD-10 designed specifically for their members. Check the Provider Resources page for a list of some partner associations that offer ICD-10 resources.

With less than one year to go before the October 1, 2014, transition date, now is the time to talk to others and make progress on ICD-10.

Want more information about ICD-10?
Visit the CMS ICD-10 website for the latest news and resources to help you prepare for the October 1, 2014, deadline. Sign up for CMS ICD-10 Industry Email Updates and follow us on Twitter.

Practice Guidelines for Telemedicine Webinar

The National Telehealth Webinar Series
Presented by the National Network of Telehealth Resource Centers
PRESENTS: “Practice Guidelines for Telemedicine”


Thursday, November 21, 2013
9:00 AM HST, 10:00 AM AKST, 11:00 AM PST, 12:00 PM MST, 1:00 PM CST, 2:00 PM EST

Presented by:
Elizabeth A. Krupinski, Ph.D.

Telemedicine practice guidelines for telemedicine form the basis for uniform, quality patient care and safety and area critical tool in promoting the deployment of telemedicine services. Standards help accelerate the adoption of telemedicine by payers, administrators and providers along with industry, government agencies, medical societies and other stakeholders. Dr. Krupinski, Chair of the American Telemedicine Association’s Standards and Guidelines Committee will discuss how ATA’s practice guidelines are helping to shape service delivery in today’s healthcare environment.

To join this webinar:
https://hrsa.connectsolutions.com/sbtelehealth/

You can test your connection at: https://hrsa.connectsolutions.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm.

For an overview of Adobe Connect, go to: http://www.adobe.com/go/connectpro_overview.

The National Telehealth Webinar Series provides timely information to support and guide the development of your telehealth program by experienced telehealth professionals from the HRSA-designated Telehealth Resource Centers. These webinars are FREE to the public on the 3rd Thursday of each month.





JH - Attention Part B Colorado, Oklahoma and New Mexico Customers - Claims not transmitted to MCS

JH - Attention Part B Colorado, Oklahoma and New Mexico Customers – 
Claims not transmitted to MCS
ISSUED: (11/19/2013 @ 9:00 AM) 

Novitas Solutions, Inc., has identified an issue where EDI claim files submitted after 6:00 p.m. on September 28, 2013 and prior to 6:00 p.m. on September 29, 2013 were not brought into the system for processing. No action is required by the provider. All impacted claim files will begin processing on November 20, 2013 and will maintain their original receipt date. Any interest due will be calculated accordingly. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Latest Issue of HCIP's ACA Implementation News

The latest issue of the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing’s ACA Implementation News is now available online here. Please feel free to forward this along to your colleagues that may find the content of interest.

If you would to sign up to receive ACA Implementation News or our ACA Communication Updates please click here.

Novitas System Change Update

Updated: 11/18/2013

As a result of recent system changes at Novitas, customers may experience the following temporary operational difficulties:
Issue
Cause/Resolution
Status/Date Resolved
What Can You Do?
Website Search Capability Has Not Been Functioning
We are experiencing various issues related to website search and filter capabilities to include:
Category Filter:  Allows customers to narrow search results to a specific topic or center.
Phrase Search: Allows customers to use a phrase in double quotes for an exact result.
Filters When Paging: Selected filters will not disappear when paging forward or backward.  
Punctuation Fixes: Special characters (e.g., dashes, quotes) could not be used in searching.
 

11/18/2013: The following have been resolved:
Category Filter: Once you search, you can now select a sub-category from the available list and show only results assigned to that category/center.
Phrase Search: Use double quotes around a phrase for an exact result.  For example, searching “medical review” will now only return pages with that exact phrase, instead of also pages with the word “medical” or the word “review”.
Filters When Paging: When you page forward or backward, selected filters will end as appropriate.
Punctuation Fixes: Use of special characters (e.g., dashes, quotes) in a search will no longer result in an error.
 

We appreciated your patience as we worked on resolving these issues.
Not All Website Content Is Appropriately Tagged Or Split (Part A or Part B)
We are in the process of correcting website content  left from the disengagement, including: Content is still tagged incorrectly (e.g., a JH only page may still be tagged as JL/JH and would also show in a search for JL content). A/B content is not able to be split in search results.  Customers who select A or B will still see both A and B related search results.
 

11/18/2013: Content tagged incorrectly is being corrected when identified. We continue to prioritize issues and work to enhance this functionality of the website.
 

No action is necessary.
Website Content Pages Are Not Functioning Properly
We are experiencing various issues when trying to review content on our Website. Content is displaying in a small, scrolling upper portion of the browser window, rather than on the full screen. Browser compatibility between the various versions of Internet Explorer (IE) is being investigated. Updates will be made as issues as identified to ensure all customers can effectively use our website.
 

11/18/2013: Functionality (small scrolling window) issues continue, with the latest versions of Apple Safari, Google Chrome, and Internet Explorer Version 9.  Investigation reveals 5% or our customers use Google Chrome and 1% use Safari to access the website. Prioritization of resolution is underway.
Internet Explorer Version 9 users can resolve these issues by updating to Internet Explorer version 10.
Website Content Pages Are Not Functioning Properly When Accessed By Mobile Devices
We are experiencing various issues when trying to review content on our Website when using a device like an iPad or iPhone. Content is displaying in a small, scrolling upper portion of the browser window, rather than on the full screen or content cannot be scrolled through.
11/18/2013: Issues have been resolved on some, but not all, mobile devices. Investigation reveals 1% or our customers access our website via a mobile device.  Prioritization is complete.
No action is necessary.
Appeal is not in  Appeals Status Tool
Appeals received after September 23, 2013 may not be entered in the Appeals Status Tool as expected.  Therefore, this may not be an accurate method to determine if an Appeal request has been received by Novitas. 
11/18/2013: Part A & Part B – Stability of front-line processes continues; resolution is expected by the end of November.
 

Please do not resubmit Appeal(s) or call the Customer Contact Center repeatedly as these actions compound problems.
Policy Pages (e.g., LCDs, Articles, and IDEs) Are Not Functioning Properly. The Policy Center on the website is not as robust as the previous version.
We continue to experience problems with printing of some LCDs and articles directly from the website. We are working diligently on resolving this issue.
11/18/2013: The print capability is being added to policies as the need is identified. We continue to prioritize issues and work to enhance the functionality of the policy area.
 

A Temporary work around, for policies that do not contain a print option (absence of picture of a printer and the word “Print” in the upper right corner of the screen), is as follows:
• Pull up desired policy/article
• Click within the title
• Select Edit
• Select All
• Select Edit again
• Copy
• Paste into a word document
We encourage providers to submit questions, concerns, and suggestions regarding the policy area of the website so that we can continue to enhance the webpage.

Please visit the Medical Policy Center, and click Contact Information
 

CERT Claim ID (CID) tool is not functioning.
While coding modifications are being made, the CERT Claim ID tool is not available. Therefore, the tool cannot be used to determine the outcome of a review completed by CERT. 
11/18/2013: Development of a solution has been initiated.  Completion is expected by December 2013.
 

Providers can email the CID to Questcert@novitas-solutions.com 
Validation of Beneficiary Eligibility may not be processing correctly
Novitas is aware of issues with the process for validating beneficiary eligibility that is a result of an October release installed by the Fiscal Intermediary Shared System (FISS) and Common Working File (CWF) which is causing claims to reject erroneously, returning to the provider (RTP), or are unable to be processed. This issue appears to be limited to specific types of claims that are being sent back to the FISS under this new process and being applied to the claims incorrectly under certain circumstances.
 

Novitas, and other contractors, are working with FISS to resolve these issues.
 

11/18/2013:
Part A: Primary impact is being seen on certain Part A claims.
Part B: Impact is greatest with Veteran Affairs (VA) and centralized flu claims. A fix for many of the FISS Reason Code related issues has been implemented. We are currently validating.
 

No action is necessary.
Enrollment information not in Enrollment Inquiry Status Tool
CMS-855s received after September 23, 2013 may not be entered in the Provider Enrollment Inquiry Status Tool as expected. This may not be an accurate method to determine if a CMS-855 application has been received by Novitas. 
 

We are working diligently to correct this issue with a goal that all applications are available for viewing by mid-November.
 

11/18/2013: Applications received prior to October 28, 2013 are now available in the Status Tool.  Progress continues on those received after October 28, 2013. 
Please do not resubmit your application as this compounds the problem. We suggest you check the status tool next week.
Enrollment determination letters are being duplicated
Due to technical issues, some providers/suppliers may have, or will, receive duplicate auto-generated letters from Novitas’ Provider Enrollment department. 
11/18/2013: A solution for this problem was installed and duplicate letters are no longer generating. Monitoring continues to ensure resolution.
We appreciate your patience while we worked to resolve this issue.  
Delays are occurring with processes (e.g., Medical Review, Claims Processing) requiring submission of  documentation
Due to recent system changes, technical difficulties have been encountered by Novitas Solutions’ Mailroom with respect to imaging of submitted documents such as medical records and responses to inquiries.  As a result, providers who have submitted medical records and/or other correspondence, in response to Additional Development Requests (ADR), Automated Development System (ADS) message or other communications such as submission of paperwork (PWK) may not be seeing these documents accurately reflected as such in the claims processing systems.
11/18/2013: No delays are being experienced for documents submitted via fax to image. Delays experienced with documents, submitted via other methods, have continued to decrease. Please be assured that documentation has not been “lost”.  Novitas Solutions continues to receive and process all incoming correspondence.
Providers should submit documents via fax to image when possible. Please do not resubmit your documents or call the Customer Contact Center repeatedly as these actions compound problems.
 

Delays: Medical Review
See description above.
Part B
11/18/2013:
Front-line processing of ADR/ADS letters and PWKs is now current.  Medical Review will continue to automatically reopen and work any claims that time-out.  You will receive a letter notifying you of post-pay adjudication.
 

If you receive a non-response denial letter, please wait 10 business days before calling the Customer Contact Center or submitting an appeal. Monitor for receipt of the post-pay adjudication letter during this time-period.
Delays: Claims Processing-Part B
See description above.
11/18/2013: In the event that ADRs time-out (i.e. at day 45) for non-receipt of documentation, relative to the imaging issue, we will work directly with providers to reopen / reprocess claims accordingly.
No action is necessary.
Part B solicited cash refund checks  are not being processed timely
Novitas is experiencing delays in processing of Part B solicited cash.  Because of this delay, the automatic system offset may occur.  As a result:
Novitas will still process your check as if we were processing it on the date of receipt.  This means that if interest was automatically assessed in error and not due, it will be returned. 
If your debt is resolved, we are required to apply your payment to any other outstanding Medicare debt.
If no additional monies are owed to Medicare, a check will be returned to you for any balance that remains.  
 

11/18/2013: Additional staff has been trained to assist with solicited cash workload. We continue making progress with increasing our daily processing level for this workload.
There is no further action you need to take.  
Long Wait Times for Customer Service
Receipt of a high volume of calls in our Customer Contact Center is causing longer than usual wait times. 
We appreciate your patience.
 

11/18/2013: Immediately following the Veterans Day holiday we experienced issues with our IVR and subsequently, wait times.  Through the remainder of the week improvement should be realized.
 

No action is necessary.
Novitas will continue to provide updates as appropriate.