<p>
Claim-Form Deadline Set for July 1
CMS has confirmed that after July 1, it will no longer accept the old CMS-1500
(12-90) claim forms. Under Transmittal 1247
(http://www.cms.hhs.gov/transmittals/downloads/R1247CP.pdf), providers will be
required only to submit CMS-1500 (08-05) beginning July 2. The form is for use
by physicians and suppliers qualifying for electronic-claims-submission
requirements set forth in the Administrative Simplification Compliance Act
(ASCA).</p><p></p><p><font size="2" face="Arial" color="#0000ff"><p
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<p xsscleaned="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoPlainText"><b
xsscleaned="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span xsscleaned="FONT-FAMILY:
Arial"><font color="#000000">July 31 Application Deadline for Specialist
Certification Exams
<o:p /></font></span></b></p>
<p xsscleaned="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoPlainText"><span
xsscleaned="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><font color="#000000">In 2007, an additional
828
physical therapists achieved board-certification by the American Board of
Physical Therapy Specialties (ABPTS). To date, 7,573 of your colleagues have
achieved this professional distinction. Physical therapists with at least 2,000
hours of direct patient care in one of seven specialty areas (Cardiovascular and
Pulmonary, Clinical Electrophysiologic, Geriatrics, Neurologic, Orthopaedics,
Pediatrics, and Sports) may be eligible for certification by ABPTS. Information
on additional minimum eligibility requirements and the application booklet can
be downloaded from the Specialist Certification Web page at </font><a
href="http://www.apta.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Exams&Template=/TaggedPage/TaggedPageDisplay.cfm&TPLID=203&ContentID=22444"
target="_blank">http://www.apta.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Exams&Template=/TaggedPage/TaggedPageDisplay.cfm&TPLID=203&ContentID=22444</a><font
color="#000000">. Applications submitted for the 2008 specialist certification
examinations must be postmarked by July 31. The examinations will be
administered at Prometric Testing Centers from February 23 to March 8, 2008.
Please contact the Specialist Certification Department at ext 8520 or at
</font><a href="mailto:spec-cert@apta.org"
target="_blank">spec-cert@apta.org</a><font color="#000000">, if you have any
questions or would like additional information.
<o:p /></font></span></p>
<p xsscleaned="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoPlainText"><span
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color="#000000"> </font></o:p></span><font size="2" face="Arial"
color="#0000ff"><p xsscleaned="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoPlainText"><span
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<p xsscleaned="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoPlainText"><b
xsscleaned="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span xsscleaned="FONT-FAMILY:
Arial"><font color="#000000">New PQRI Resources Available
Online<o:p /></font></span></b></p>
<p xsscleaned="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoPlainText"><span
xsscleaned="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><font color="#000000">Physical therapists now
have a
new resource to help them successfully participate in the Physician Quality
Reporting Initiative (PQRI), which offers a 1.5% bonus payment for reporting
quality data. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has posted
worksheets online at </font><a
href="http://www.cms.hhs.gov/PQRI/30_EducationalResources.asp#TopOfPage"
target="_blank">http://www.cms.hhs.gov/PQRI/30_EducationalResources.asp#TopOfPage</a><font
color="#000000"> to help providers meet the program?s documentation
requirements.
The Screening for Future Falls Risk worksheet (</font><a
href="http://www.apta.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home&CONTENTID=40485&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm"
target="_blank">http://www.apta.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home&CONTENTID=40485&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm</a><font
color="#000000">) provides steps that PTs can follow to successfully document
the
completion of a falls risk screening. For more information on PQRI, visit the
APTA Web site at </font><a
href="http://www.apta.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Coding_Billing&Template=/TaggedPage/TaggedPageDisplay.cfm&TPLID=164&ContentID=18281"
target="_blank">http://www.apta.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Coding_Billing&Template=/TaggedPage/TaggedPageDisplay.cfm&TPLID=164&ContentID=18281</a><font
color="#000000">. <o:p /></font></span></p>
<p xsscleaned="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoPlainText"><span
xsscleaned="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p><font color="#000000"> Here's some more
items that might be of interest:</font></o:p></span></p><p xsscleaned="MARGIN:
0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoPlainText">Jill Cooper<span xsscleaned="FONT-FAMILY:
Arial"><o:p><font color="#000000"></font></o:p></span><font size="2"
face="Arial" color="#0000ff"><p xsscleaned="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"
class="MsoPlainText"><span xsscleaned="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p /></span></p>
<p xsscleaned="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoPlainText"><b
xsscleaned="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span xsscleaned="FONT-FAMILY:
Arial"><font color="#000000">CMS Hosting Conference Call on Provider Enrollment
June
29<o:p /></font></span></b></p>
<p xsscleaned="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoPlainText"><span
xsscleaned="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><font color="#000000">The Centers for Medicare
and
Medicaid Services (CMS) will host a conference call on Medicare enrollment from
2:00 to 3:00 pm Friday, June 29. The Open Door Forum on the Medicare Provider
Enrollment Process will provide useful tips to facilitate enrollment and an
opportunity for providers to ask questions about the process. To register, visit
</font><a href="http://registration.intercall.com/go/cms2"
target="_blank">http://registration.intercall.com/go/cms2</a><font
color="#000000">. For more information about Medicare provider enrollment
process,
visit the APTA Web site at </font><a
href="http://www.apta.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Become_a_Provider_Supplier&Template=/TaggedPage/TaggedPageDisplay.cfm&TPLID=166&ContentID=36012"
target="_blank">http://www.apta.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Become_a_Provider_Supplier&Template=/TaggedPage/TaggedPageDisplay.cfm&TPLID=166&ContentID=36012</a><font
color="#000000">. <o:p /></font></span></p>
<p xsscleaned="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoPlainText"><span
xsscleaned="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p><font
color="#000000"> </font></o:p></span></p></font></p></font></p></font></p>