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Still Time to Help Relieve Your Paperwork Burden

NHTSA Announces Creation of Office of EMS

NEW (FREE) SOFTWARE TO CONSIDER
by David M. Werfel, Esq.

Still Time to Help Relieve Your Paperwork Burden

You still have time to submit your comments on the proposed revisions to the Medicare provider enrollment application. However, comments must be received at the Office of Management and Budget no later than Monday, February 27. So you will need to mail your comments no later than Friday, February 24.

As reported by the AAA on January 27, 2006 , CMS published a notice in the Federal Register seeking public comment on proposed revisions to the Medicare provider enrollment application (855 Form). Among the proposed revisions is the elimination of the requirement that ambulance companies notify CMS of any changes in crewmembers. Unfortunately, the proposed revisions would retain the requirement that CMS be provided with information about each vehicle. As companies are required to register all vehicles with existing state and local agencies, the requirement that companies also register these vehicles with CMS is duplicative and unduly burdensome on companies.

For this reason, we strongly urge all AAA members to respond favorably to the decision to remove the crewmember notification requirement, and to recommend that CMS further remove the vehicle requirements. Attached to this E-Update is a sample response letter (however, we encourage companies to customize this letter to their own situation) for you to submit on the notice. The Office of Management and Budget must receive all comments by February 27, 2006 . Please mail your comments to:

OMB Human Resources and Housing Branch
Attn: Carolyn Lovett, CMS Desk Officer,
New Executive Office Building
Room 10235
Washington, D.C. 20503

NHTSA Announces Creation of Office of EMS
Forwarded from NHTSA

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is pleased to announce the creation of the Office of Emergency Medical Services ( EMS ).

Recognizing the consistent and long-standing contribution of the EMS program and its increasing responsibilities, NHTSA is elevating the stature of the EMS Division to match its expanding role.

The new Office of EMS is being established within the Program Development and Delivery organization within Traffic Injury Control, and will continue its mission to reduce death and disability by providing leadership and coordination of comprehensive, evidence-based emergency medical services and 9-1-1 systems.  This national EMS office, in close coordination with its Federal partners, will serve its constituents with a coordinated, consensus-based process to reinforce the vital role of the EMS community in shaping and realizing its own future.

NEW (FREE) SOFTWARE TO CONSIDER
by: David M. Werfel, Esq.

CMS has developed software you may want to consider.  It is being called "Medicare Remit Easy Print".  The software allows you to view and print Remittance information.  Thus, you would be able to print all of the information pertaining to just one patient.  This would be important for sending a copy to a secondary or supplementary payer.  It would also mean that you no longer have to cross out information on the Remittance Notice. Capabilities include:

• Print remittance information for individual or multiple claims.
• Forward only those claims needed by other payers.  
• Locate a claim based on customized search criteria, including
  health insurance claim, number or procedure code.
• Receive updates to Claim Adjustment Reason Codes and Remittance
  Advice Remark Codes three times a year. 
• Reduce filing and storage space needs.

MREP can be obtained from your Carrier, free.  To learn more about MREP contact your Carrier.  CMS has also published a Medlearn Matters article (SE0611) on the subject:
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MedlearnMattersArticles/downloads/SE0611.pdf .

It is also suggested you check with your existing software vendor to see if MREP would be an enhancement or if your current software has the same capabilities.

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