The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will be hosting an overview of the new “Go Paperless” feature available in the Medicare Secondary Payer Recovery Portal (MSPRP) on Thursday, April 13 at 1:00 pm ET. The webinar will feature opening remarks and a presentation, followed by a question and answer session. Insurers and authorized agents may now choose to opt-in to paperless functionality. Once registered for the paperless option, users will be able to access all recovery correspondence including demand letters, as well as submit correspondence through the MSPRP. Further details ..read more

by Frank Fairchok, Vice President of Medicare Reporting Services Last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) advanced the rulemaking process in two long-awaited areas. The Regulation Identifier Numbers for “Medicare Secondary Payer and Future Medicals” (0938-AT85) and “Medicare Secondary Payer and Certain Civil Money Penalties” (0938-AT86) were advanced to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review of the final rule. 0938-AT85 – Medicare Secondary Payer and Future Medicals (CMS-6047) The latest abstract for this rule states: “This proposed rule would clarify exi ..read more

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced yesterday that it will be hosting a Workers’ Compensation Medicare Set-Aside (WCMSA) webinar next Thursday, February 17, 2022 at 1:00 pm ET. The webinar will include a variety of WCMSA topics, including a summary of what’s new in Medicare set-asides, and address questions related to the inclusion of treatments, application of state rules, re-reviews/amended reviews and more. The presentation will be followed by a live question and answer session with representatives from CMS. Due to the large number of participants expected, CMS ..read more

MEDVAL is pleased to be attending and exhibiting at the 75th Annual Workers Compensation Educational Conference December 12-15, 2021, at the Orlando World Center Marriott. With 3000 attendees expected, we look forward to connecting with clients, partners and prospective customers.  If you are planning to attend, please stop by and visit us at Booth 911. The PAID Act goes into effect on December 11, 2021. At the conference we will be highlighting our new Medicare Part C and D Recovery program and providing tips on how to prepare for this significant change. You don’t want to miss it! For m ..read more

by Charlotte Chovanec, RN, BSN, MHA, Clinical Director & Leah King, PharmD, JD, Independent Pharmacy Consultant Recently, the price of omeprazole, a generic version of Prilosec, decreased rather significantly. History of Prilosec (Omeprazole)Prilosec, the first proton pump inhibitor approved by the FDA in 1989, has been widely utilized for more than three decades to treat a variety of gastrointestinal conditions such as heartburn, acid reflux and gastric ulcers. In the early 2000’s, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first generic versions of Prilosec and approved over the ..read more

by Frank Fairchok, Vice President of Medicare Reporting Services On September 27, 2021, CMS announced they would begin accepting record submissions where the entitlement date is up to three months in the future. This announcement was made as a broadcast e-mail with an associated entry in the “What’s New” page on the CMS website The update reads as follows: “September 27, 2021 – Section 111 Medicare Secondary Payer (MSP) Records Will Accept Future Effective DateEffective October 4, 2021, Section 111 MSP record submissions will accept effective dates up to three months in the future for certain ..read more

by Noel D. Sturtz, Client Program Manager and Kristie Kline, Lead MSA Analyst Transparency in PricingTransparency in healthcare has historically been defined as the “making available to the public, in a reliable, and understandable manner, information on the health care system’s quality, efficiency and consumer experience with care, which includes price and quality data, so as to influence the behavior of patients.”[1] While at first glance the concept seems simple, transparent pricing is an issue that has long confounded regulators, administrators, and consumers alike. Historically, hospitals ..read more

by Frank Fairchok, Vice President of Medicare Reporting Services Last week, CMS hosted a webinar to discuss the testing plan for changes to the query process. These changes are mandated by the PAID Act, passed on December 11, 2020, giving CMS one year to implement updates to the query process. The law requires CMS to provide enrollment information for beneficiaries for Medicare Part C (Medicare Advantage Plans) and Part D (Prescription Drug Plans). CMS must identify the last three years of enrollment in these plans when responding to the query for identified beneficiaries. While this article w ..read more

by Kristen Cayze, MSA Analyst Telemedicine involves the remote diagnosis and treatment of patients by means of telecommunications technology. While telemedicine services gained popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic, these services have been available for years. Given the limitations of telemedicine, there are certainly times when patients need in-person evaluation and treatment. For example, diagnostic testing, injection therapy, laboratory work, and wound care are a few instances where in-person treatment would be required. For a variety of health care needs however, telemedicine can be a v ..read more