News from the AOA's Blog

New technical standards for electronic claim filing and other electronic health-related transactions take effect on Jan. 1, 2012, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is reminding health care practitioners.

Practitioners, over the coming days, can expect to receive notices from their software vendors, billing services, or claims clearinghouses regarding compliance with new Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) 5010 standards, according to the AOA Advocacy Group. Read the rest of this entry ?

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is proceeding with plans to revalidate all Medicare providers and suppliers who have not revalidated since March 25, 2011, so that ALL Medicare providers and suppliers are scrutinized under new screening requirements of the Affordable Care Act, agency officials confirmed during a special provider conference call last month.

However, the CMS is now asking all Medicare providers and suppliers to wait to revalidate until they are requested to do so by their Medicare contractor. Read the rest of this entry ?

Optometrists who provide eyeglasses to Medicare patients using prescriptions that are written by other physicians should watch for the notice “Ordering Provider Not Authorized” on remittance advice forms, the AOA Advocacy Group warns. The advisory indicates that Medicare, in the future, will not cover eyewear ordered by the optometrist or ophthalmologist listed on the prescription because the prescriber does not have a complete enrollment record in Medicare’s Provider Enrollment, Chain, and Ownership System (PECOS). Read the rest of this entry ?

Last month, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) delivered to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) more than 300 pages of recommended guidelines aimed at helping the federal agency make critical decisions on the scope and application of the essential health benefits package created under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Following the release of the IOM guidelines, HHS officials announced the launch of a “listening tour” aimed at providing an opportunity for a variety of stakeholders to make their voices heard on the design and application of the essential health benefits package. AOA Washington office staffers Rodney Peele and Matt Willette seized the opportunity to attend the first-of-its-kind gathering and weigh in with top HHS officials on key eye and vision care issues. Read the rest of this entry ?