As 2012 begins, it is important to keep your focus on compliance with Version 5010 and beginning to plan for the transition to ICD-10.
The Version 5010 deadline was on January 1, 2012; however, because of the 90-day enforcement discretion period<http://www.cms.gov/ICD10/Downloads/CMSStatement5010EnforcementDiscretion111711.pdf> for all HIPAA covered entities upgrading to Version 5010 (ASC X12 Version 5010), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will not initiate enforcement action until April 1, 2012. CMS made this decision based on industry feedback that many organizations and their trading partners were not yet ready to finalize system upgrades to be compliant. CMS encourages you to continue internal testing as well as external testing of Version 5010 transactions with trading partners to ensure compliance for Version 5010. Although enforcement action will not be taken prior to April 1, 2012, it is important that you continue to move forward to meet Version 5010 requirements as soon as possible. In addition to testing, if you have not yet created a plan for Version 5010, you should do so in order to meet these compliance deadlines. To find out about steps to take toward a successful upgrade, consult the new CMS fact sheet: Version 5010: How Health Care Providers Can Ensure a Smooth Transition<http://www.cms.gov/ICD10/Downloads/ICD10RiskMitigation20111208FINAL.pdf>. Remember: Upgrading to Version 5010 is a critical first step for the nationwide transition to ICD-10 that will take place on October 1, 2013. It is important that you finish this process, so that you can continue to prepare your organization for the ICD-10 transition. Keep Up to Date on Version 5010 and ICD-10. Please visit the ICD-10 website<http://www.cms.gov/ICD10> for the latest news and resources to help you prepare, and to download and share the implementation widget<http://www.browserspring.com/widgets/cms2/iframe.html> today! ________________________________ Flu Season is Here! While seasonal flu outbreaks can happen as early as October, flu activity usually peaks in January. Remind your patients that annual vaccination is recommended for optimal protection. Medicare pays for the seasonal flu vaccine and its administration for seniors and others with Medicare with no co-pay or deductible. Healthcare workers, who may spread the flu to high risk patients, should get vaccinated too. Don't forget to immunize yourself and your staff. Protect your patients. Protect your family. Protect yourself. Get the Flu Vaccine-Not the Flu. Remember - The flu vaccine plus its administration are covered Part B benefits. CMS has posted the 2011-2012 seasonal flu vaccine payment limits at http://www.CMS.gov/McrPartBDrugAvgSalesPrice/10_VaccinesPricing.asp. Note that the flu vaccine is NOT a Part D-covered drug. For more information on coverage and billing of the flu vaccine and its administration, as well as related educational provider resources, visit http://www.CMS.gov/MLNProducts/35_PreventiveServices.asp and http://www.cms.gov/immunizations. ________________________________ 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.
