Provider Education and Training Quarterly Meeting, January 16, 2002

Attendees:
Anita Antkowiak, CareFirst of MD; Kim Droboniku, CareFirst of MD; Jason Kerr, CareFirst of MD; Sandra Sigler, CareFirst of MD; Ella Glover, CareFirst of MD; Donna Waters, CareFirst of MD; Doris Fabian, JHHS; James Cox, MD MedCare; Nigel Jamieson, Ultimate Renal Care; MedStar; Pat Boardley, Trailblazers; Barbara Cerbone, CMS; Susie Collins, Deers Head Hospital Renal; Priscilla Wray, Georgetown Hospital; Erma Brutscher, Johns Hopkins Health System; Sharon Graham, CMS; Andrew Bernstein, CMS; Cyndi Benson,I.H.S

Minutes:

Anita Antkowiak of CareFirst of MD Inc. welcomed everyone to the meeting. Round table introduction.

Barbara Cerbone reiterated the purpose of the meeting. Meeting is to represent global issues of the provider community. Committee should make contact with other similar provider types to share meeting information, as well as obtain problem issues.

If there are any immediate training needs, please contact your provider relations representative.

Anita Antkowiak explained that one on one trainings are no longer provided. A new email address has been set-up for Medicare seminar registrations. Providers may send an email to this address if they wish to sign up for future Medicare seminars. Please make sure to include your name, facility name, provider number, and a contact number.
The address is: provider.relations@carefirst.com

Action items from last meeting:

CareFirst held 3 Medicare 101 training sessions last quarter. Two trainings were held onsite giving providers the opportunity of hands-on training on terminals. Reminder that a train the trainer approach is preferred by CareFirst.

There is a Return to Provider (RTP) report available to providers. Article on RTP report can be found in the 10/01 Intermediary News on page 35. Cyndi Benson of I.H.S receives the report and finds it very useful. The report is run at the end of each month.

It is very important that providers share information, received from CareFirst of MD., with their Vendors.

If there are any unclear reason codes in your TB9997 location, please let us know so we can update.

Anita Antkowiak introduced our Medicare 102 seminars. Our thoughts on material for this seminar:

- Credit Balance Reporting
- Remittance Advice
- Medical Review - billing ABN's, etc.
- Adjustment bills

Suggestions from providers for Medicare 102: - How to bill when benefits exhaust?
- MSP
- Billing for Conditional payment (please see page 10 of July 2001 Intermediary News for Conditional Payment article)
- Billing services on 12x tob
- Overlapping Issues
- HCPC/ICD-9 coding/updates

Barbara Cerbone from CMS mentioned that we need hosts for our seminars. If anyone would like to host one of our seminars please notify your provider rep.

Susie Collins from Deers Head Hospital Renal Dialysis questioned the possibility of having a seminar geared towards ESRD Issues (ie. Billing, procedures)

James Cox of MD Medcare asked if videotaping training is a possibility. This method is currently being considered.

Finally, Barbara Cerbone of CMS mentioned that there are monthly CMS conference calls that are open to all facilities. Information on time/dates of calls will be posted in a bulletin.

The next PET meeting is scheduled for April 17, 2002.