Eli's Rehab Report

Published on Mon Dec 31, 2012 PDF

Keep a sharp eye on incoming faxes, and advise your office staff to do the same: On June 18, CMS warned providers that perpetrators are sending faxes to physician offices posing as the provider’s Medicare carrier or Medicare Administrative Contractor. The fax instructs office staff to respond to a questionnaire to provide an account information update within 48 hours to prevent a gap in Medicare payments. Even more deceiving, the fax may have the CMS logo and/or the contractor logo to enhance the appearance of authenticity, CMS warned.

Best advice: “If you receive a request for information in the manner described above, please check with your contractor before submitting any information,” CMS advised. Only send information to a Medicare contractor using the address(es) provided on the CMS Web site.