The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will begin implementing a prior authorization demonstration program  for repetitive scheduled non-emergent ambulance transport in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina. CMS will test whether prior authorization helps reduce expenditures, while maintaining or improving quality of care. CMS believes using a prior authorization process will help ensure services are provided in compliance with applicable Medicare coverage, coding, and payment rules before services are rendered and claims are paid.  

Prior authorization will not create new clinical documentation requirements. Instead, it will require the same information necessary to support Medicare payment, just earlier in the process.  Prior authorization allows providers and suppliers to address issues with claims prior to rending services and to avoid an appeal process. This will help ensure that all relevant coverage, coding, and clinical documentation requirements are met before the service is rendered to the beneficiary and before the claim is submitted for payment.

Visit the CMS Announcement Webpage. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been migrating away from the issuance of digital certificates to access the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) and will no longer issue any NEW digital certificates. Instead users will obtain access to NHSN by using Secure Access Management Service (SAMS).  If you still have a digital certificate you may continue to use it to access NSHN as you always have.  However, prior to your certificate expiring, you will be invited to apply for SAMS credentials.  This process differs significantly from the certificate renewal process.  When you do get your SAMS invitation, you are urged to act promptly as the process for SAMS is slightly longer than the process for receiving a digital certificate.  Please be especially aware of expiring digital certificates that fall close to CMS reporting deadlines.  All users are required to be migrated to SAMS, and SDN will no longer be available as of April 15, 2015.