2010 Mid Year Medicare Fee Schedule Released

As you know, CMS updated the 2010 Medicare Fee schedule to provide for a 2.2% increase, effective June 1, 2010. DataPlus has worked hard to adjust our system to allow for two Medicare Fee Schedules in the same year. This change is now available to all of our clients.

Please follow the instructions below to take advantage of this change and to update your DataPlus system correctly.

If your DataPlus system has a customized RVU table, please disregard this notice, and DO NOT run any update. If you are unsure, please contact our Support Team.

This process can be performed on any computer that has DataPlus on it by following the steps below. This does not have to be done from the server.

1. Open DataPlus and navigate to the "Utilities Menu."
2. Select "Check for CMS Updates" and select "Continue." DataPlus will compare your system with the master database and determine if your system is up-to-date.
3. Once updates are found, select "Continue" again to update your database.

After the updates are completed, it is time to maintain your Medicare contracts, as follows:

1. All of your current 2010 Medicare contacts must have the contract end dates modified. Open each 2010 Medicare contract and change the contract end date to 05/31/2010. Remember that you probably have at least two Medicare Contracts (Facility and Non-Facility), and perhaps even a third (ASC). Each one of these must have the contract end date changed.
2. Next you must create new Medicare 2010 Contracts / Fee Schedules. Set these contracts up just as you have before (remember the name must be unique), but make the contract start date 06/01/2010 and the end date 12/31/2010.
3. Create the fee schedule as you have done in the past.
4. Remember that you will need a separate contract for Facility, Non-Facility, and ASC (if you provide services in an Ambulatory Surgical Center).

After you have completed the updates on your contracts and fee schedules, HealthPort users should run Step 5. Once this process runs, Payment Audit will take the changes in the Medicare Fee schedule and remove any items that are no longer appropriate due to the changes. It will also add to any new underpaid items. For Centricity users, this will occur during your nightly update.

Not a current user of our Revenue Recovery system? Interested in finding additional revenue? Using the DataPlus Revenue Recovery Module, including Contracts, Fee Schedules, and Payment Audit, can bring an additional 6% to your practice's bottom line! Call us today for a demonstration!