Expert Billing & More Inc. News Letter For February 2008

Important Changes Taking Place March 1, 2008: A few months back we informed you that ACS will no longer be the fiscal agent for Florida Medicaid. Effective March 1, 2008, EDS will be taking over in this capacity. EDS has already started having trainings throughout the state. REVISED INFO 2/08 THIS CHANGE HAS BEEN POSTPONED TO JULY 2008


Although we are handling your billing, it is still recommended that you attend the training in your area. There are a lot of new and exciting things providers will be able to take advantage of, whether you use Expert Billing or not, so we wouldn’t want you to miss out on any important information. The training is not mandatory; however, it is in your best interest to attend. If you have not received training information, please visit their website at http://mymedicaid-florida.com/providerreadiness to obtain info.

REVISED INFO 2/08: EXPECT LETTER IN MAY OR JUNE: In the next few weeks, you will be receiving information from EDS that will require immediate action. You will be required to register your provider number(s) online as well as give us permission to continue billing on your behalf. Although you have already completed a Billing Agent Agreement, which will be on file, it is still necessary to go online and give us permission to access and submit your files electronically. If this process is NOT completed, it is possible we will not be able to continue billing for you after February 28 (revised date June 30). Once you receive your notification from EDS, if you need help, please contact our office. If for some reason, you do not receive your notification by the middle of February, please contact our office as we will contact EDS on your behalf.

SC Rate Changes Effective January 1, 2008: SC rates have been reduced effective January 1, 2008. Regular support coordination is now $135.00 and limited support coordination is now $67.50. Please note that limited support coordination also has a new procedure code for CHILDREN ONLY. We will be updating our system automatically with the correct codes and rates so please make sure your screens are correct and ready for billing for January. If the new procedure code for limited support coordination for children affects you, please submit a new copy of your ACLMSP screen to ensure we update our system accurately to avoid denials. 2/08 UPDATE: WE RECENTLY LEARNED THAT ANY CLIENT RECEIVING LIMITED SUPPORT COORDINATION (MW, FSL OR CDC) IS REQUIRED TO USE THE NEW CODES. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR ACLMSP SCREENS ARE UPDATED ACCORDINGLY.

RES HAB SUPPLEMENTAL PAYMENTS: By now most of you have heard that there was a lawsuit filed on the reductions to res hab rates. Although we emailed the final published details of the settlement, there is still confusion. It seems that “qualified” (as determined by the State) res hab providers will be receiving supplemental payments for Dec, Jan and Feb. When the supplemental payment will be issued has yet to be announced. What happens in March, we are not sure of either. Will your rates stay the same or will they be increased? That is anybody’s guess. I’ve asked around and can’t get any concrete answers. If you need more info, please contact either your SC, your local APD office or check out the APD website. We are getting inundated with phone calls about this, but unfortunately we have no answers. As always, if we get any info, we will forward it on.

Assistive Care Service providers – The new monthly income limit for 2008 is $876.00.



Still More Changes…. There are still more changes yet to come. Make sure you stay in the loop either via email, attending local APD meetings or talking with your SC to make sure that are aware of when changes are implemented. Changes still anticipated are: limiting companion to 24 quarters per day, limiting meaningful day activities (combination of ADT, companion and SE) to 30 hours per week and possibly limiting the maximum daily units for supported living. I believe APD is waiting for final approval on these issues so they could be implemented at any time.
2/08 Update: We’ve heard rumors the new Handbook will be promulgated within days. It is anticipated the expected changes will be outlined in it. Please make sure to check the APD website for the most current info on the services you provide. Please remember that it is YOUR responsibility to know the law and provide services within the guidelines. Whether you are officially notified of the changes or not, APD still holds providers accountable.

The invoices you submit to us… Please remember you are responsible for making sure what you submit to us is correct. We cannot make changes to invoices so if your invoice has incomplete data or is incorrectly calculated (especially if you have used incorrect rates), you may be asked to correct them and resend them. It’s best to review them carefully BEFORE you send them to avoid billing delays.

Denials… Please remember if you experience a denial, you should contact our office immediately. DO NOT simply resubmit an invoice for reprocessing as this creates confusion and possible overbilling or double billing.
2/08 Update: providers should review payment vouchers each time you get paid to be sure you are paid correctly. The longer you wait to notify us of a problem, the longer it takes us to resolve it for you.

PAYMENT DUE DATE IS THE 25TH OF THE MONTH… We want to thank the providers that continually pay on time and also thank the ones that have started paying on time since our last blurb about this issue.

Please remember that your payment is due on the 25th so you should make sure that you either submit an online payment or mail your check in enough time to ensure it is received by this date. Payments not received by the 25th automatically incur the late charge of 15% of the total of your invoice, or a minimum late charge of $15. Again we reiterate, we ALWAYS process invoices on time, so you should return the same professional courtesy and pay your invoice on time. We understand what receiving your money even one day late means for your business, please remember it affects ours in the same way.

As a side note, if a provider needs to request payment arrangements, please call BEFORE the 25th of the month. Payment arrangements should be a PERIODIC thing for emergency situations only. We cannot continue to grant payments arrangements month after month. Providers in this situation may be requested to start paying for services at the time of invoice submission.

Reminder of Medicaid Weekly Deadline – please remember that Medicaid only guarantees they will process claims for payment the following week if they receive the claims by WEDNESDAY. Expert Billing guarantees invoices will be processed within 24 hours of receipt so if they are received by Tuesday at Noon, you are assured they will be processed for payment the following week. HOWEVER, IF YOU SUBMIT ON WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY OR FRIDAY we will still process your invoices but Medicaid DOES NOT guarantee payment the following week. It is cutting it very close when submitting invoices on Fridays. It is especially important to remember that if you are waiting till after the 24th of the month (for monthly res hab providers) or if the end of the month falls on one of these days, we will still process but it is out of our control if Medicaid pays or doesn’t pay the following week.

Also, don’t forget our office closes at 12:00 on Fridays so if you are planning to submit on a Friday, it needs to be first thing in the morning.


As always, please feel free to call if you have questions.
http://xpertbil.com/

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