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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recommends that physicians know and maintain their National Plan and Provider Enumerator System User Ids and passwords, reset their NPPES passwords at least once a year and review their records to ensure that the information is current.

An NPI must be used to identify a secondary provider (ordering, referring, attending, operating, supervising, purchased service, other, or service facility provider [in the X12N 837 claims transactions] or for prescriber [in the NCPDP 5.1 retail drug claim transactions]) on a paper or electronically submitted claim.   Claims will not be paid if secondary providers (with the exception of the service facility provider) are not identified by NPIs.

 

 The CMS Form 1500 Web-based Training course was updated in July 2008 and is now available from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Medicare Learning Network. This course explains how to file Medicare Part B claims accurately and reduce the chance of receiving unprocessable rejections. For information, visit http://www.cms.hhs.gov/mlngeninfo/  

2009 Annual Update for the Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) Bonus Payments

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HHS guidance clarifying the Privacy Rule includes the following points of information. For details, please view http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNMattersArticles/downloads/SE0726.pdf

The APA Committee on Hispanic Psychiatrists, in collaboration with the Office of Minority and National Affairs, the League of United Latin American Citizens and the National Hispanic Medical Association, has developed and released a new DVD and guidebook on mental health for Latinos. The  guidebook/DVD, titled “Mental Health: A Guide for Latinos and Their Families,” is aimed at helping to inform Latino/ Hispanic consumers about mental health, dispel common misperceptions, and reduce the stigma of mental illnesses among Latinos.

CMS has posted two new sections on its website addressing the 2009 Electronic Prescribing (E-Prescribing) Incentive Program: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/ERxIncentive/06_E-Prescribing_Measure.asp and http://www.cms.hhs.gov/ERxIncentive/09_Educational_Resources.asp. Highmark has an online appeals center available at http://www.highmarkmedicareservices

Q:    What is the Maryland Physician Health Program (MPHP)?