Category: Medicare
HEADS UP! Rider 32 Transition
Effective September 1, 2025
Texas Health and Human Services Commission will implement Rider 32, which will transition Medicaid only services for dually eligible members from a fee-for-service model to a managed care delivery system.
This change affects services provided to members who are eligible for both Medicaid and Medicare. It applies only to those Medicaid services not covered by Medicare.
Providers will bill the MCO for Medicaid wrap-around services provided to dually eligible members.
Wrap-around services include all Medicaid services not covered by Medicare. They are limited to those already covered under managed care for Medicaid-only members.
Humana
TIPS, TRICKS AND HELPS
PREAUTHORIZATON LISTS (PAL):
Lists of services and medications effective July 1, 2025, that may required preauthorization for members with Medicaid, Medicare Advantage, and dual Medicare-Medicaid coverage are now available.
Easily determine if a prior authorization is required with Humana’s search tool. Search by Current Procedural Terminology (CPT®) codes, procedures or generic drug name(s). Remember to verify benefit coverage in Availity Essentials
Availity Essentials Introduces Check Claim Status Feature:
Availity has enhanced its Eligibility and Benefits (E/B) page by adding a Check Claim Status feature.
What you can expect:
- Improved efficiency and accuracy: The check Claim Status tool pre-populates your patient’s information, ensuring accuracy.
- Time savings: You can access claim status with one click- saving time and effort
Medicare Preventive Services – Revised
The above link will lead you to MLN Educational Tool, where you can click a service and see the changes.
Superior: Appeal Submissions
IMPORTANT: Post-Service Medical Necessity Appeal Submissions
Superior HealthPlan would like to remind providers that post-service Medical Necessity Appeals must be mailed or faxed using the submission information below. Submissions must include the reason for appeal and any additional clinical information for appeal review..
Centene Management Company
ATTN: Medical Management Appeals
5900 E. Ben White Blvd
Austin, Texas 78741
Fax number: 1-866-918-2266
Post-service appeals for reconsideration of a Medical Necessity Denial on behalf of a member should not be sent to the Claims Appeal address.
For questions about post-service Medical Necessity Appeals, providers can contact 1-877-398-9461.
Submit 2024 MIPS Data by April 14th
The data submission period for Medicare’s 2024 Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) performance yeard has been extended to April 14th at 7 pm CT.
At Stake is a pay cut of up to 9% in the 2026 payment year.
Cigna Medicare Business Acquisition Completed
Well, it is final. As of today, March 19, 2025 Health Care Service Corporation
(HCSC) has acquired Cigna’s Medicare operations.
HCSC has acquired Cigna’s Medicare businesses, including Medicare Advantage, Cigna Supplemental Benefits, Medicare Part D, and CareAllies.
It has been stated:
- Members will have the same plan, member ID, benefits, and network structure.
- No changes are expected for 2025
- You should not expect any changes in coverage levels or out-of-pocket cost.
- And the one we all hoped would change, BCBS says we can still expect the same level of service.
Humana’s Contract Numbers
Knowing the Medicare Advantage (MA) Contract number of the plans your office has opt’ed into can be a big help.
Some may say what is a MA contract number? Or you may have heard it called an H number.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is responsible for identifying each Medicare Advantage C plan with a unique contract number. This number is assigned to the insurance company during the approval process. For local managed care contracts, the number begins with an ‘H’ or a ‘9″.
Below are your H numbers for the Humana-POET contract.
The next time you are in doubt about a Humana Card, look for one of these numbers on the front of the card.
Humana Gold Plus H0028-041 (HMO)
HumanaChoice Giveback H5216-358 (PPO)
Humana USAA Honor Giveback H5216-348-000-2025 (PP0) This is the only Humana Military card under the POET Contract.
This isn’t the best example of a Humana card, but you can see the H number in the bottom right hand corner.
Aetna Reverses NPP Payment Reduction
By: Hannah Wisterman ~ 2/12/25
On January 31st, InK reported Aetna was changing it’s policy on billing for Non-Physician Providers (NPP). As of February 10th Aetna has changed their stand. Please Read!
Aetna’s Feb. 10 reversal preserves NPPs’ ability to fully bill under a supervising physician’s name and National Provider Identifier (NPI) for services “incidental to” the physician’s diagnosis and treatment of an injury or illness. Services billed incident-to must be conducted in the same office suite where the physician is present and available to intervene if needed.
HS Connect Issues
You may have been experiencing issues with HS Connect. One office reported to POET (thank you) they had been in contact with HS Connect. And was told that on January 1, 2025 HS Connect had a major update. You may already guessed, it failed (Majorly in Texas). Our source was told that HS Connect is having to enter Texas Data by hand. What you are seeing when you pull up the screen is 2024 data.
For more information call: HS Connect Help Desk (866) 952-7596 , option 2 or email [email protected]
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