ACCC, ASH, CMS, & Palmetto News

The following information has been received by ANCO.


****ACCC NEWS****
The Association of Community Cancer Center's (ACCC) This Week at ACCC was published and is available at http://www.accc-cancer.org/mediaroom/newsletters/media_ACCCNEWSLETTER_10-13-2008.html. ANCO is an Institutional Member of ACCC. This edition features:

ACCC's Highly Acclaimed Hospital Summit: Portable and Practical Information

CMS Enhances Program Integrity Efforts to Fight Medicare Fraud/Waste

Initiative to Speed Clinical Trial Negotiations Moves Forward

Are You Going to All Digital Mammography? Learn the challenges

Regional Oncology Symposia Coming to Tampa and Philadelphia

Call for Nominations for ACCC's Board

Several Colorectal Cancer Screening Methods Are Equally Effective, Panel Says

Q&A on ACCC's Listserv: Exercise Programs

ACCC's CE Blackboard: New Program on CML

State Medical Oncology Societies Host Upcoming Meetings


****ASH NEWS****
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently released a special edition MedLearn article on the Medicare clinical trials policy, "Clarification of Medicare Payment for Routine Costs in a Clinical Trial." This article provides clarification regarding Medicare payment of routine costs associated with clinical trials. Visit http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNMattersArticles/downloads/SE0822.pdf to read this article.


****CMS NEWS****
The ICD-10-Clinical Modification/Procedure Coding System Bookmark is now available from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Medicare Learning Network. This bookmark explains the ICD-10-Clinical Modification/Procedure Coding System (CM/PCS) including the benefits of adopting the system, recommended steps to be taken in order to plan and prepare for implementation of the system, and where additional information about the system can be found. To place your order, visit http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNProducts/01_Overview.asp , scroll down to “Related Links Inside CMS” and select “MLN Product Ordering Page.” If you have problems accessing this hyperlink, please copy and paste the URL into your Internet browser.


****PALMETTO/J1MAC NEWS****
Non-acceptance of Legacy Provider Numbers on Incoming Medicare Claims
http://www.palmettogba.com/palmetto/providers.nsf/DocsCat/Providers~Jurisdiction%201%20Part%20B~Resources~NPI~Non-acceptance%20of%20Legacy%20Provider%20Numbers%20on%20Incoming%20Medicare%20Claims%20?opendocument

With the implementation of the National Provider Identifier (NPI) on May
23, 2008, Medicare ceased accepting legacy provider numbers, qualified by
1C and 1G within the secondary provider REF segments, on incoming Medicare
American National Standards Institute (ANSI) X12N 837 4010A1 claims.
Effective October 6, 2008, providers should note that, with one qualified
exception, Medicare will reject all incoming Medicare X12N 837 4010A1
claims that contain legacy identifiers.


November 18, 2008, 9am – 11am: Open Draft LCD Meeting Scheduled for
California
http://www.palmettogba.com/palmetto/providers.nsf/DocsCat/Providers~Jurisdiction%201%20Part%20B~Articles~General~November%2018,%202008,%209am%20–%2011am:%20Open%20Draft%20LCD%20Meeting%20Scheduled%20for%20California?opendocument

Palmetto GBA J1 A/B MAC has scheduled an Open Draft LCD meeting in
California in order to allow for the submission of information related to
the proposed LCDs on November 18, 2008, from 9am – 11am. Click on the link
to view more details.


Provider Enrollment Application Status Lookup Tool
http://www.palmettogba.com/palmetto/providers.nsf/DocsCat/Providers~Jurisdiction%201%20Part%20B~Resources~Provider%20Enrollment~Provider%20Enrollment%20Application%20Status%20Lookup%20Tool?opendocument

The “Provider Enrollment Application Status Lookup” tool will be located on
the Palmetto GBA J1 Web site, www.Palmettogba.com/J1B, under Resources and
will be available for use beginning October 13, 2008. Click on the link to
learn more!


The ICD-10 Clinical Modification/Procedure Coding System (CM/PCS)—The Next
Generation of Coding
http://www.palmettogba.com/palmetto/providers.nsf/DocsCat/Providers~Jurisdiction%201%20Part%20B~Articles~General~The%20ICD-10%20Clinical%20ModificationProcedure%20Coding%20System%20(CMPCS)—The%20Next%20Generation%20of%20Coding?opendocument

This Special Edition article (SE 0832) outlines general information for
providers detailing the International Classification of Diseases, 10th
Edition (ICD-10) classification system. Compared to the current ICD-9
classification system, ICD-10 offers more detailed information and the
ability to expand specificity and clinical information in order to capture
advancements in clinical medicine. Providers may want to become familiar
with the new coding system.


Denials: Top Reasons and Procedures
http://www.palmettogba.com/palmetto/providers.nsf/DocsCat/Providers~Jurisdiction%201%20Part%20B~Resources~Denial%20Finder~Denials:%20Top%20Reasons%20and%20Procedures?opendocument

The Palmetto GBA Denial Finder tool includes resources for resolving the
top claim rejections and denial reasons. Save time and resources by
looking here before you pick up the phone: access denial reasons in plain
language; scroll through the titles to locate your procedure; and use the
Palmetto GBA search engine to search by remark code. Be sure to share this
tool within your office.