APDA UPDATES AND BUSINESS NEWS
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October 23, 2020 CMS reminds ordering physicians of their important role in Medical Necessity and documentation. It is the responsibility of the provider who receives reimbursement to justify medical necessity. "In case of an item or service...ordered by a physician or a practitioner...but furnished by another entity, if the Secretary (or fiscal agent of the Secretary) requires the entity furnishing the item or service to provide diagnostic or other medical information in order for payment to be made to the entity, the physician or practitioner shall provide that information to the entity at the time that the item or service is ordered by the physician or practitioner."
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October 21, 2020 OIG Reports Lab Fraud Alert. Scammers are offering COVID-19 tests to Medicare beneficiaries in exchange for personal details, including Medicare information. However, the services are unapproved and illegitimate.In one fraud scheme, some medical labs are targeting retirement communities claiming to offer COVID-19 tests, but actually drawing blood and billing federal health care programs for medically unnecessary services.
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October 19, 2020 Medicare enrollment application refunds CMS has used authority under Section 1135 of the Social Security Act to waive the application fee for any applications submitted on or after March 1, 2020 in response to COVID-19. Visit the CMS website [PDF] for more information. CMS is now issuing application fee refunds through electronic funds transfer (EFT), rather than paper checks. 'CMS' will request new information if you need an application fee refund for your CMS-855A, CMS-855B, CMS-855S, or CMS-20134 submitted via an automated clearinghouse.Complete and return the EFT form issued by your Medicare administrative contractor, including your account information.
MEMBERS ONLY. APDA continuously strives to provide valuable educational resources for its members. As a benefit of membership, members have access to the Resources tab on our website to learn about the latest in APDA's advocacy initiatives, industry legislation, compliance news, past newsletters, communications to members and more. You must login with your user & password to access the Resources tab.
APDA Communications Committee asks ALL members to login to your account on the APDA website and UPDATE YOUR INFORMATION.
Make sure your phone, address and email are correct so you continue to receive important emails and letters from APDA.
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National RadiologicTechnology Week
November 8 - 14th, 2020
APDA encourages its members, Nursing Home personnel, Physicians and industry partners to celebrate their Technologists! Buy them lunch, shower them with appreciation, and tell them Thank You! NRTW® is celebrated annually to recognize the vital work of R.T.s across the nation. The celebration takes place during the week of Nov. 8 to commemorate the discovery of the x-ray by Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen on Nov. 8, 1895.The week-long celebration calls attention to the important role medical imaging and radiation therapy professionals play in patient care and health care safety.
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APDA Welcomes its new executive committee
officers and board members - CONGRATULATIONS!
On October 23, 2020 APDA announced its 2020-2021 officers and board members
Executive Committee
President: Ryan Kingrey
President Elect: Tamara Schwartz
Secretary: Sue McNamee
Treasurer: Meagan Moton
Administrator: Sharon Reilly
Board Members
Bylaws Committee Chair: Phil Rathbun
Vendor Committee Chair: Alex Sagadin
Communications Committee Chair: Rosie Crawford
Advertising Committee Chair: Caleb Fort
Membership Committee Chair: Joni Jack
Committee Chairs need your help! APDA needs everyone's partiipation in keeping this organization strong and working for its members and the industry. We know everyone has a special talent....so Please consider volunteering to serve on a committee that interests you. Call 888-892-2732 ext. 105 for committee contact information.
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2020 TOM WUERSTLE AWARD
Congratulations Will Irwin!
Will Irwin received an unexpected visit during Day 3 of the APDA Virtual Conference Member Business meeting. Michael Stracke, APDA Emeritus, Sharon Reilly, APDA Administrator and Ken Andrews APDA member from K & A X-ray showed up at Will's office (while he was on Live during the Virtual meeting) to present him with the engraved Crystal Vase Tom Wuerstle Award, commemorating Will's years of dedicated service. Michael gave a very warm and well deserved speech thanking Will for his years of dedication and tireless service to APDA. Congratulations WILL, Well Deserved!
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APDA'S 39TH ANNUAL 3 Day VIRTUAL CONFERENCE
WAS A GREAT SUCCESS!
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A BIG SHOUT OUT and THANK YOU
to everyone, especially:
Conference Planning Committee
Generous Conference Sponsors
All Attendees
We could not have done it without all of you!
Conference Planning Committee:
Tamara Schwartz
Ryan Kingrey
Sharon Rielly
Meagan Moton
Anna Dailey
Roger Faselt
Rosie Crawford
Generous Associate Business Members and Sponsors:
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Slides from the conference will be sent to attendees via email this coming week. Members Only can also access Conference slides by signing into the APDA website and going to the Resources tab.
APDA and the conference planning committee would like to hear from you. How did you like the Conference? Could we have done better? What would like to see next time?
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COVID NEWS
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Key Dates and Summary of requirements for recipients that received over $10,000 in aggregate of PRF (provider relief funds) :
- January 15, 2021 Reporting Portal opens for Providers
- Feb. 15, 2021: first reporting deadline for all providers on use of PRF funds
- July 31, 2021: final reporting deadline for providers who did not fully expend PRF funds prior to December 31, 2020
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October 23, 2020 New funding is available. Applications for the Phase 3 General Distribution are now being accepted through November 6, 2020. Providers are encouraged to apply as soon as possible to expedite the calculation and distribution of payments.
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APDA COMMUNICATIONS HOTLINE
888-892-2732 ext 105
email coming soon - look for details
Members and industry partners are encouraged to call with questions, concerns and ideas about anything from legislative actions, policy and regulatory issues to how we can improve to make APDA work for you. As a benefit of APDA membership - FOR MEMBERS ONLY - Members can also call for help with compliance, billing, coding, Medicare regulations and policies, Medicare enrollment and more. Your personal information and identity will be kept confidential. Although, your issue/question may be shared with APDA members for educational purposes. APDA wants to hear from you!
HOTLINE ISSUES OF THE WEEK
Q.How do I make updates and changes to my NPI information?
A. Login to your I & A account at NPPES and complete the change online or download a paper application update form. NOTE: The following changes cannot be completed online and require a Paper Application/Update Form: Changes to Date of Birth, Changes to Social Security Number, Reactivation of an NPI and Deactivation of an NPI. Please follow the instructions below regarding making changes with a Paper Application/Update Form.
Q. How do I deactivate my active NPI record?
A. If you would like to deactivate an active NPI, login into your account and follow the steps below:
- Select the NPI Deactivate ICON to deactivate the desired NPI application.
- Enter the deactivation reason.
- Select “Yes” for “Are you sure you want to deactivate this NPI? All enrollment associated to this NPI. In other CMS systems maybe impacted” pop up question.
- NPI has been deactivated successfully message will be displayed.
Q We had a HIPAA breach, how do I report it?
A. Did you do a breach assessment? If you have confirmed you have a breach, the method of reporting is dependent on the amount of individuals the breach affects. If a breach of unsecured protected health information affects 500 or more individuals, a covered entity must notify the Secretary of the breach without unreasonable delay and in no case later than 60 calendar days from the discovery of the breach. If a breach of unsecured protected health information affects fewer than 500 individuals, a covered entity must notify the Secretary of the breach within 60 days of the end of the calendar year in which the breach was discovered.
Q. Can my supervisory physician order an ultrasound for a patient that he is not treating? ie: adding or changing a type of exam ordered by the treating physician.
A. The supervising physician for the IDTF may not order tests to be performed by the IDTF, unless the IDTF’s supervising physician is in fact the beneficiary’s treating physician. That is, the physician in question had a relationship with the beneficiary prior to the performance of the testing and is treating the beneficiary for a specific medical problem. The IDTF may not add any procedures based on internal protocols without a written order from the treating physician. Read More
Q. Can I pay for my APDA dues online?
A. Yes. Login to APDA's website and click on ACCOUNT at the top right side of the page. Go to Account details and membership renewal. Thats it!
Q. I'm not receiving APDA emails or Newsletters. What should I do?
A. Make sure your profile has your correct email address. Login to APDA website and on the first page go to your profile and scroll down to primary and secondary email. Review/correct the email address. You can also add a secondary email address. Make sure you check that you agree to receive emails.
If you have questions, issues or need to share don't hesitate to call!
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Mark your Calender for APDA's Mid Year Meeting in Chicago, IL
May 2021
DON'T MISS THIS!
Stay tuned to our website & Newsletters for upcoming details
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Disclaimer:The information provided in this newsletter is for general informational and educational purposes only. All information shared does not contain any medical or legal advice. Accordingly, before taking any actions we encourage you to consult with appropriate professionals of your choice.
Questions? contact:
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