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Heal an injured revenue stream by billing Part B for wound care supplies

Billing Alert for Long-Term Care, May 1, 2009

This is an excerpt from a member only article. To read the article in its entirety, please login or subscribe to Billing Alert for Long-Term Care.

SNFs that are not accredited suppliers of durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (¬DMEPOS) will lose the opportunity to bill their DME Medicare administrative contractors (MAC) for Part B supplies after September 30. But what does this mean for SNFs that bill their fiscal intermediaries (FI) or MAC for Part B–covered wound care supplies?

“The DMEPOS accreditation requirement has to do with the supplier number, which SNFs do not need to bill their FI or MAC,” says Mary H. Marshall, PhD, president of Management and Planning Services, Inc., in Fernandina Beach, FL. “Therefore, it is my understanding that SNFs billing their FI or MAC for certain Part B supplies, such as wound care, ostomy, and urological items, do not have to be accredited. Accreditation does not apply to the Medicare provider number.”

Maintaining the ability to bill for wound care supplies is excellent news for SNFs, says Theresa Lang, RN, BSN, RAC-C, WCC, vice president of clinical consulting at Specialized Medical Services, Inc., in ¬Milwaukee. “¬Because many facilities use more wound care supplies than other Part B items, such as ostomy or urological supplies, this type of Part B billing may provide more revenue,” Lang says.

This is an excerpt from a member only article. To read the article in its entirety, please login or subscribe to Billing Alert for Long-Term Care.

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