 MIR-2006-6B, June 2006 Important Reminder and Clarification! Medicare to Stop Mailing Standard Paper Remittance for Providers/Suppliers Receiving an Electronic Remittance Advice Beginning June 1, 2006, the standard paper remittance (SPR) received through the mail will no longer be available to those providers/suppliers who also receive an electronic remittance advice (ERA), whether the ERA is received directly by the provider or through a billing agent, clearinghouse, or other entity representing a provider/supplier. Note: For those providers who are not enrolled to receive the electronic remittance, we will continue to send the standard paper remittance. If you currently receive the SPR but have a billing agent, clearinghouse, or other entity obtaining the electronic remittance on your behalf, we will discontinue the SPR on June 1, 2006. You will need to work with your billing agent, clearinghouse, or other entity to obtain a copy of the paper remittance from them. In response to the provider/supplier community’s continued need for SPRs, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has developed free software called Medicare Remit Easy Print (MREP) that gives providers/suppliers a tool to read and print a remittance advice (RA) from the HIPAA-compliant Health Care Claim Payment/Advice (835) file. The MREP software was designed to incorporate new functionality to save providers/suppliers time and money. The paper output generated by MREP is similar to the SPR format. CMS has worked with other payers to ensure their acceptance of the SPR generated by the MREP software for coordination of benefit claim submission. Additionally, CMS has worked with clearinghouses to assure similar software is available to read and print an electronic remittance advice (ERA) for those providers/suppliers that utilize clearinghouse services. We encourage providers/suppliers currently receiving the ERA, who don’t use software to read and print RAs from these files, to begin using MREP or other similar software before the June 1 cutoff. Medicare Remit Easy Print In an effort to advance toward an electronic environment, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has developed software called Medicare Remit Easy Print (MREP) that enables physicians and suppliers to view and print HIPAA-compliant 835s from their own computer. Remittance advices printed from the MREP software mirror the current Standard Paper Remittance Advice (SPR) format. The MREP software uses an imported file in the HIPAA-compliant 835 format sent by Empire Medicare Services. Note: Before using the MREP software, physicians, providers, and suppliers must have access to their HIPAA-compliant 835 electronic remittances. To sign up to receive your remittances electronically, visit our Web site for the necessary forms. New Jersey Providers: http://www.empiremedicare.com/partbnj/partbnj_billing_ecfrm.htm New York Providers: http://www.empiremedicare.com/omnipro/forms/elerbfrm.pdf This software offers new, important capabilities that allow physicians and suppliers to:
The MREP software is available to physicians and suppliers for free through the Empire Medicare Services Web site at http://www.empiremedicare.com/partbny/billing/MREP.htm. Saves Time and MoneyPhysicians and suppliers can print remittance information directly from their computer the same day the HIPAA 835 is available. No more time is spent waiting for the mail! Generates Special ReportsThe MREP software also allows physicians and suppliers to run several useful reports. Deductible Service Lines Report: Shows claim service lines that have a deductible amount. Adjusted Service Lines Report: Shows claims within a single remittance that have a claim status 22 (reversed claim). Denied Service Lines Report: Shows only claim service lines that have an allowed amount of zero and are associated with a claim that does not have a claim status 22 (reversed claim). Prints Information for Use by Other PayersThe MREP software gives physicians and suppliers the ability to print remittance information in the familiar SPR format for individual or multiple selected claims. This allows them to forward only those claims that are needed by other payers for secondary/tertiary payment. Physicians and suppliers may view and/or print as many or as few claims as needed. Easy to Navigate and View Remittance InformationThe MREP software presents remittance information that is organized and easy to view. The MREP software provides separate tabs that include the following information:
The MREP software features a search function that allows physicians and suppliers to find a claim (or multiple claims) based on customized search criteria. Physicians and suppliers may search by names, numbers, and even portions of information, such as:
The search function provides a powerful way to save time and money when examining remittance information. Eliminates Physical Filing and Storage Space Needs Physicians and suppliers import a HIPAA 835 (received from their Medicare contractor) into the MREP software. The software saves the information as a separate Import file, ensuring that the original HIPAA 835 file remains intact. The software provides an easy-to-use method that archives, restores, and deletes these Import files as physicians and suppliers maintain remittance records. This eliminates the need for physical filing and additional storage space. Keystroke ShortcutsThe MREP software contains numerous keystroke shortcuts to streamline use of the software and save physicians and suppliers time as they view remittance information. Updates to Claim Adjustment Reason Codes and Remittance Advice Remark Codes Medicare contractors will notify physicians and suppliers of necessary updates for the MREP software to accommodate code set changes. File updates will be available three times a year. Physicians and suppliers can sign up at their Medicare contractor’s Web site to be notified automatically when updates are available. New Free Software Enabling Minimum System RequirementsTo install and use the MREP software, systems must meet the following criteria:
The combined features of the HIPAA-compliant 835 remittances and the MREP software provide a powerful way to save time and money when examining remittance information. This software was developed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for use by Medicare providers/suppliers to view and print a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)-compliant Medicare 835. Medicare has no liability and takes no responsibility for any other use of this software. This information was prepared as a service to the public and is not intended to grant rights or impose obligations. It may contain references or links to statutes, regulations, or other policy materials. The information provided is only in-tended to be a general summary. It is not intended to take the place of either the written law or regulations. We encourage readers to review the specific statutes, regulations and other interpretive materials for a full and accurate statement of their contents. © All current procedural terminology (CPT) codes and descriptors copyrighted by the American Medical Association. |
