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Issue 2006-03, March 2006
MLN Matters. . .Information for Medicare Providers
(Issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services)
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Hold on Medicare Payments
Provider Types Affected
Providers and physicians who bill Medicare contractors, fiscal intermediaries (FIs), including regional home health intermediaries (RHHIs), and carriers, for their services
Provider Action Needed
Impact to You
A brief hold will be placed on Medicare payments for all claims for the last nine days of the Federal fiscal year, i.e., September 22, 2006 - September 30, 2006. Claims held as a result of this one-time policy will be paid on October 2, 2006. No interest or late penalty will be paid to an entity or individual for any delay in a payment by reason of this one-time hold on payments.
What You Need to Know
Additionally, Medicare contractors will continue to apply the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regulations for the 14-day electronic claim payment floor and the 29-day paper claim payment floor.
What You Need to Do
Please note that this policy applies only to claims subject to payment . It does not apply to full denials and no-pay claims. Essentially, no payments on claims will be made from September 22-30, 2006, and providers should be aware of these payment delays, which are mandated by section 5203 of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005.
Additional Information
CR4349 is the official instruction issued to your FI, RHHI, or carrier regarding changes mentioned in this article. CR4349 may be found at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/Transmittals/downloads/R847CP.pdf  on the CMS Web site.
Please refer to your local FI/RHHI or carrier if you have questions about this issue. To find their toll-free phone number, go to http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MedlearnProducts/downloads/CallCenterTollNumDirectory.pdf on the CMS Web site.
Disclaimer
This article was prepared as a service to the public and is not intended to grant rights or impose obligations. This article may contain references or links to statutes, regulations, or other policy materials. The information provided is only intended 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.
For more information, visit the Medlearn Matters Web page at: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MedlearnMattersArticles 
Pub. 100-4, Transmittal# R847CP, CR# 4349
Medlearn Matters Number: MM4349
Related CR Release Date: February 10, 2006
Effective Date: September 22, 2006
Implementation Date: July 3, 2006
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