Independent Diagnostic Testing Facilities (IDTFs) Can Expect Quarterly Letters From Medicare A/B MACs About January 2012 Accreditation Requirement

For more information on the Medicare accreditation requirement for entities billing the technical component for advanced diagnostic imaging (CT, MRI, PET/Nuclear Medicine) effective January 1, 2012, read my post here.

—————————————————————————————–

Medicare Learning Network (MLN) just released MM6912, effective August 2, 2010: Mailing To All Individual Practitioners, Medical Groups and Clinics and Independent Diagnostic Testing Facilities (IDTF) Who Are Billing or Have Billed For The Technical Component of Advanced Diagnostic Imaging Services

What exactly is an IDTF?

Some suppliers that perform diagnostic tests, other than clinical laboratory or pathology tests, are required to enroll with Medicare as an Independent Diagnostic Testing Facility (IDTF). Not all suppliers that perform these diagnostic tests are required to enroll as an IDTF.  Generally, entities can bill for the technical component of the diagnostic tests without an IDTF enrollment if it has the following characteristics:

• A physician practice that is owned, directly or indirectly, by one or more physicians or by a hospital
• A facility that primarily bills for physician services and not for diagnostic tests
• A facility that furnishes diagnostic tests primarily to patients whose medical conditions are being treated or managed on an ongoing basis by one or more physicians in the practice
• The diagnostic tests are performed and interpreted at the same location where the practice physicians also treat patients for their medical conditions
• If a substantial portion of the facility’s business involves the performance of diagnostic tests, the diagnostic testing services may be a sufficient separate business to require enrollment as an IDTF. In that case, the physician or physician group practice can continue to be enrolled as a physician or physician group practice but are also required to enroll as an IDTF. The physician or group can bill for professional fees and the diagnostic tests they perform on their patients using their billing number. Therefore, the practice must bill as an IDTF for diagnostic tests furnished to Medicare beneficiaries who are not regular patients of the physician or group practice.

Who will receive a mailing?

Enrolled physicians, non-physician practitioners, including single and multi- specialty clinics, and IDTFs who have billed the Medicare program for the technical component of advanced diagnostic testing services within the preceding six month period and who continue to have Medicare billing privileges with Medicare contractors (carriers and Part A/B Medicare Administrative Contractors (A/B MACs)) are affected.

Image via Wikipedia

If you have billed the Medicare program for the technical component of advanced diagnostic testing services within the preceding six month period and continue to have Medicare billing privileges with Medicare contractors, you will receive a letter from your Medicare contractor advising you of the need to become accredited by January 1, 2012, in order to continue to provide these services and bill Medicare.

When more than one physician or non-physician practitioner is operating within a group, such as a single specialty or multispecialty clinic, only the group will receive the letter, not each of the individual physicians or non-physician practitioners working for the group.

What will the mailing say?

You must be accredited by one of the three Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services (CMS) approved national accreditation organizations by January 1, 2012,
in order to be eligible to continue to furnish the technical component of advanced
diagnostic testing services to Medicare beneficiaries and submit claims for those
services to your Medicare contractor.

Your contractor will be mailing the letter quarterly beginning with July 2010 through July 2011. If necessary, follow the instructions in the letter to become accredited by January 1, 2012, in order to continue billing for the technical component of advance diagnostic imaging services. Make sure that your office staffs are aware of these new accreditation requirements and begin the accreditation process as soon as possible to protect your Medicare billing rights for these services.

Why do IDTFs have to become accredited now?

Section 135(a) of the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of
2008 (MIPPA) amended section 1834(e) of the Social Security Act and required
the Secretary, Health and Human Services, to designate organizations to accredit
suppliers, including but not limited to physicians, non-physician practitioners and
Independent Diagnostic Testing Facilities, that furnish the technical component
(TC) of advanced diagnostic imaging services.

What qualifies as an advanced diagnostic imaging procedure?

MIPPA specifically defines advanced diagnostic imaging procedures as including:
Ӣ Diagnostic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI),
Ӣ Computed tomography (CT), and
Ӣ Nuclear medicine imaging, such as positron emission tomography (PET).

MIPPA expressly excludes from the accreditation requirement x-ray, ultrasound,
and fluoroscopy procedures. The law also excludes from the CMS accreditation
requirement diagnostic and screening mammography, which are subject to quality oversight by the Food and Drug Administration under the Mammography Quality Standards Act.

How long does it take to become accredited?

Since CMS expects that it may take as much as nine months from the time you initiate the accreditation process to completion, you should begin the accreditation process for advanced diagnostic imaging services as soon as possible, but not later than March 2011.

Who are the accrediting organizations?

CMS approved three national accreditation organizations — the American College
of Radiology, the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission, and The Joint
Commission — to provide accreditation services for suppliers of the TC of advanced diagnostic imaging procedures. The accreditation will apply only to
the suppliers of the images themselves, and not to the physician interpreting
the image. All accreditation organizations have quality standards that address the safety of the equipment as well as the safety of the patients and staff.

If you have questions, contact your Medicare carrier and/or A/B MAC at
their toll-free number, which may be found here (zip file.)

Image via Wikipedia

The letter will look like this:

[DATE]

[Supplier Name and Address]

Dear Physician/Non-Physician Practitioner/IDTF owner:

In accordance with Section 135(a) of the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA), suppliers, including but not limited to physicians, non-physician practitioners and Independent Diagnostic Testing Facilities that furnish the technical component (TC) of advanced diagnostic imaging services must be accredited by January 1, 2012 in order to continue to furnish these services to Medicare beneficiaries.

Our records indicate that you have furnished advanced diagnostic imaging procedures such as diagnostic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), and nuclear medicine imaging such as positron emission tomography (PET) within the last six months.  If you are not accredited by one of the organizations shown below by January 1, 2012, you will not be eligible to bill the Medicare program for advanced diagnostic imaging services.  This letter requests that you take the necessary action to become accredited by the January 1, 2012 deadline.  Since we expect it can take up to nine months from the time you initiate the accreditation process to completion, we urge you to begin the accreditation process for advanced diagnostic imaging services as soon as possible.

MIPPA expressly excludes from the accreditation requirement x-ray, ultrasound, and fluoroscopy procedures.  The law also excludes from the CMS accreditation requirement diagnostic and screening mammography which are already subject to quality oversight by the Food and Drug Administration under the Mammography Quality Standards Act.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) approved three national accreditation organizations ”“ the American College of Radiology, the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission, and The Joint Commission – to provide accreditation services for suppliers of the TC of advanced diagnostic imaging procedures.  The accreditation will apply only to the suppliers of the images themselves, and not to the physician interpreting the image.  All accreditation organizations have quality standards that address the safety of the equipment as well as the safety of the patients and staff.  The accrediting organization that issues your accreditation will notify Medicare once your accreditation is complete and approved.

To obtain additional information about the accreditation process, please contact the accreditation organizations shown below.

Image by Jon Olav via Flickr

American College of Radiology (ACR)
1891 Preston White Drive
Reston, VA 20191-4326
1-800-770-0145

Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC)
6021 University Boulevard, Suite 500
Ellicott City, MD 21043
1-800-838-2110

The Joint Commission (TJC)
Ambulatory Care Accreditation Program
One Renaissance Boulevard
Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181
1-630-792-5286

If you have questions about this letter, contact [carrier or A/B MAC phone number/contact person].

Sincerely,

[Name of carrier or A/B MAC]

******************************************************************

Supplier Billed Advanced Medical Imaging CPT codes for Section 135 (a) of the MIPPA to Receive Accreditation Requirement Notification Letter

70336  70540  71250  72125  73200  74150
70450  70542  71260  72126  73201  74160
70460  70543  71270  72127  73202  74170
70470  70544  71275  72128  73206  74175
70480  70545  71550  72129  73218  74181
70481  70546  71551  72130  73219  74182
70482  70547  71552  72131  73220  74183
70486  70548  71555  72132  73221  74185
70487  70549    72133  73222
70488  70551    72141  73223
70490  70552    72142  73225
70491  70553    72146  73700
70492  70554    72147  73701
70496  70555    72148  73702
70498  70557    72149  73706

70558    72156  73718

70559    72157  7371972158  73720
72159  73721
72191  73722
72192  73723
72193  73725
72194
72195
72196
72197
72198
72200
75557  76360  77011  78000  78811
75559  76376  77012  78001  78812
75561  76377  77021  78003  78813
75563  76380  77058  78006  78814
76390  77059  78007  78815
76497  77078  78010  78816
76498  77079  78011  78891
78015
78016
78018
78020
78070
78075
78099