HIPAA Eligibility Transaction System (HETS) On December 4, 2010, a new release of this system was installed. The system had been extensively tested with a number of clearinghouses. Although it performed well in the test environment, the system could not support the production traffic and was backed out on Monday, December 6th.
The system upgrade was designed to address increasing demands (e.g. volume of transactions) and correct connection problems that have been especially problematic during peak hours (9am-2pm EST). CMS is aware of the impact of the current performance and connection problems on Medicare providers using this system to get needed beneficiary eligibility information. We regret the inconvenience and want to assure the provider and clearinghouse community that correcting HETS problems is a top priority for CMS. Your continued patience is appreciated. HETS status information will be communicated to HETS submitters as information becomes available. December It's a Busy Time of Year. Make each office visit an opportunity to talk with your patients about the importance of getting the seasonal flu vaccination and a one-time pneumococcal vaccination. Remember, Medicare pays for these vaccinations for all beneficiaries with no co-pay or deductible. The seasonal flu and invasive pneumococcal disease kill thousands of people in the United States each year, most of them 65 years of age or older. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also recommends that health care workers and caregivers be vaccinated against the seasonal flu. Protect your patients. Protect your family. Protect yourself. Get Your Flu Vaccine - Not the Flu. Remember - Influenza vaccine plus its administration are covered Part B benefits. Note that influenza vaccine is NOT a Part D covered drug. For information about Medicare's coverage of the influenza vaccine and its administration, as well as related educational resources for health care professionals and their staff, please visit the following CMS websites: http://www.cms.gov/MLNProducts/Downloads/Flu_Products.pdf and http://www.cms.gov/AdultImmunizations. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Note: If you have problems accessing any hyperlink in this message, please copy and paste the URL into your Internet browser. If you know someone who would like to subscribe to a Medicare Fee-For-Service (FFS) provider listserv, go to (http://www.cms.gov/prospmedicarefeesvcpmtgen/downloads/Provider_Listservs.pdf). If you would like to unsubscribe from a specific provider listserv, please go to (https://list.nih.gov/cgi-bin/wa.exe?INDEX) 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.gov/ContactCMS). Thank you.
