News CMS to Reorganize WC Regional Offices Effective Sept. 1, 2008Effective September 1, 2008, The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will stop utilizing four (4) of the current workers' Compensation regional offices. These offices are currently located in New York, Atlanta, Kansas City and Denver. Six (6) workers' compensation regional offices will remain in Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Dallas, San Francisco and Seattle. As a result of this reorganization, the regions handled by each of the remaining offices have been realigned. A list of the workers' compensation Regional Office Contacts and the territory covered by each office as of September 1, 2008 is provided by clicking on the 'full story' link below. We continue to monitor CMS changes and will update this news story as additional information becomes available. Full Story CMS Publishes Summary of Proposed Guidelines to Implement Section 111 of the Medicare, Medicaid & SCHIP Act The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced certain key proposals outlining the manner in which it intends to implement the notice and reporting requirements of Section 111 of the Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP Act of 2007 (MMSEA). This announcement was made by CMS through the Federal Register. In conjunction therewith, CMS has also released a “Supporting Statement” which provides detailed information regarding other aspects related to implementation of Section 111 of the MMSEA. Through the release of the proposed guidelines, CMS has taken major strides in providing the industry with the framework it intends to implement to enforce the notice and reporting requirements of Section 111 of the MMSEA. Additional Information & Related Links: Settlement News, August 2008 - provides an overview of CMS' proposed guidelines http://www.nuquestbridgepointe.com/news/uploads/august_2008_settlement_news.pdf Federal Register, August 1, 2008 http://www.nuquestbridgepointe.com/news/uploads/federal_register_8_1_08.pdf CMS Supporting Summary http://www.nuquestbridgepointe.com/news/uploads/cms-supporting_statement.pdf CMS Mandatory Insurer Reporting website: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MandatoryInsRep/ NAMSAP Submits Industry Comments to CMS Regarding the WCRC Function The National Alliance of Medicare Set-Aside Professionals (NAMSAP) has requested consideration of a number of industry comments in regard to a request for information for the Workers' Compensation Review Center (WCRC) function. The membership shared concerns regarding what it considers inappropriate and/or inefficient review practices by the WCRC in order to assist CMS in making an informed decision regarding Scope of Work issues. The industry comments submitted to CMS can be found by clicking on 'Full Story' below. Full Story CMS Memorandum Released May 20, 2008 CMS has issued policy regardig the exclusive use of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Table 1, (All American Table) when determining life expectancy in Workers Compensation Medicare Set-Asides (WCMSA) proposals. Effective with WCMSA submissions received by the CMS Coordination of Benefits Contract (COBC) on or after July 1, 2008, CMS will only use the CDC Table 1, "Life table for the total population" in its WCMSA review process and will only accept life expectancies obtained from this table. Full Story |
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