February is American Heart Month!
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States for both men and women.[1] Medicare provides coverage for cardiovascular screening blood tests, ultrasound screening for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA), and smoking and tobacco-use cessation counseling for qualified beneficiaries. What Can You Do? As a health care professional who provides care to seniors and others with Medicare, you can help protect the health of your Medicare patients by educating them about their risk factors and reminding them of the importance of Medicare-covered preventive services that are appropriate for them, including services related to cardiovascular health. For More Information CMS has developed several educational products related to Medicare-covered preventive services: o The Guide to Medicare Preventive Services for Physicians, Providers, Suppliers, and Other Health Care Professionals ~ this newly revised comprehensive resource provides coverage and coding information on the array of preventive services and screenings that Medicare covers, including cardiovascular screening blood tests, AAA screenings, and smoking and tobacco-use cessation counseling. http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNProducts/downloads/mps_guide_web-061305.pdf o The MLN Preventive Services Educational Products Web Page ~ provides descriptions and ordering information for Medicare Learning Network (MLN) preventive services educational products and resources for health care professionals and their staff. http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNProducts/35_PreventiveServices.asp o Quick Reference Information: Medicare Preventive Services ~ this double-sided chart provides coverage and coding information on Medicare-covered preventive services, including smoking and tobacco-use cessation counseling, and AAA and cardiovascular screenings. http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNProducts/downloads/MPS_QuickReferenceChart_1.p df o Expanded Benefits brochure ~ this brochure provides information on coverage for Medicare-covered cardiovascular blood test and AAA screenings. http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNProducts/downloads/expanded_benefits.pdf o Smoking and Tobacco-Use Cessation Counseling brochure ~ this brochure provides information on coverage for Medicare-covered smoking and tobacco-use cessation counseling. http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNProducts/downloads/smoking.pdf Please visit the Medicare Learning Network <http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNGenInfo/> for more information on these and other Medicare fee-for-service educational products. For more information on American Heart Month, please visit the American Heart Month website at: http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4441 <http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4441> Thank you for helping CMS improve the health of patients with Medicare by joining in the effort to educate beneficiaries about the importance of taking advantage of preventive services covered by Medicare. ______________________ [1] Heart Disease, Heart Disease Facts. [online]. Atlanta, GA: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, December 21, 2009 [cited 21 January 2010]. Available from the World Wide Web: (http://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts.htm) There's still time to get the seasonal flu shot! Although influenza activity has declined recently, it still may continue for several months.[1] The Centers for Disease Control continues to recommend that patients and health care providers and caregivers be vaccinated against seasonal influenza. CMS encourages health care providers to use each office visit as an opportunity to talk with Medicare your patients about the importance of getting a seasonal flu shot. And remember, it is also important to immunize yourself and your staff. Remember - Seasonal influenza vaccinations and their administration are covered Part B benefits. Note that influenza and pneumococcal vaccines are NOT Part D covered drugs. For information about Medicare's coverage of the seasonal influenza virus vaccine and its administration, as well as related educational resources for health care professionals and their staff, please go to http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNProducts/Downloads/flu_products.pdf <http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNProducts/Downloads/flu_products.pdf> on the CMS website. You will find a variety of resources that explain Medicare coverage and claims submission policies related to the seasonal influenza vaccine. For information on Medicare policies related to H1N1 influenza, please go to http://www.cms.hhs.gov/H1N1 <http://www.cms.hhs.gov/H1N1> on the CMS website. __________________ [1] Seasonal Influenza (Flu). [online]. Atlanta, GA: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, January 19, 2010 [cited 21 January 2010]. Available from the World Wide Web: (http://www.cdc.gov/flu <http://www.cdc.gov/flu> ) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------- Note: If you have problems accessing any hyperlink in this message, please copy and paste the URL into your Internet browser. If you received this message as part of the All FFS Providers listserv, you are currently subscribed to one of eighteen Medicare Fee-For-Service provider listservs. If you would like to be removed from all NIH listservs, please go to (https://list.nih.gov/LISTSERV_WEB/signoff.htm <https://list.nih.gov/LISTSERV_WEB/signoff.htm> ) to unsubscribe. If you would like to unsubscribe from a specific provider listserv, please go to (https://list.nih.gov/cgi-bin/show_list_archives <https://list.nih.gov/cgi-bin/show_list_archives> ) to unsubscribe or to leave the appropriate listserv. Please DO NOT respond to this email. This email is a service of CMS and routed through an electronic mail server to communicate Medicare policy and operational changes and/or updates. Responses to this email are not routed to CMS personnel. Inquiries may be sent by going to (http://www.cms.hhs.gov/ContactCMS <http://www.cms.hhs.gov/ContactCMS> ). Thank you. ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ [1] Heart Disease, Heart Disease Facts. [online]. Atlanta, GA: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, December 21, 2009 [cited 21 January 2010]. Available from the World Wide Web: (http://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts.htm) [1] Seasonal Influenza (Flu). [online]. Atlanta, GA: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, January 19, 2010 [cited 21 January 2010]. Available from the World Wide Web: (http://www.cdc.gov/flu)
