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Home My WebLink AboutM-98-0326C~tt~ .af t~xx~t ~ •~ GtnnENEL f~rc Ch~e( .,~.r~ =v y~"3 ~~ Qe C~.Rti~• IOSE C.~R~ City n March 25, 1998 Mr. Paul Franzelas ADP 520 NW 165 Street Suite 201 Miami FL 33169 Dear Mr. Franzelas: Please accept this letter as official notification that the following billing issues have been approved: 1. All of our transport vehicles are ALS certified and may be shown as such for Medicare billing. 2. All BLS codes may be changed to ALS codes for Medicare billing. 3. Medicare retroactive review requests for code change to ALS may begin. Any questions can be directed to Chief Mestas at 416-1653. Sincerely Chi f C.A. 'menez Eire Chief 98- 326 OEP~R TMEN t Oi FtRE RESCUE/++~ S.w 2nJ wrnudMi~mi, Fl J) I JO/U051 i 16- i bqU nn~~l~nq Addre~a P Q 8u~ J JUIOH M~rm~. FL ) );1)-0'UH C~Stt~ ~f ~t~mi C ~. GtMENEZ F~~e Cheri ~e.y ~' ~i ~ t ~a~• au~ ~~ Qa C~.IVV~ IOSE CAR Cary March 25, 1998 Mr. Joe McCloskey Medaphis • 11401 S.W. 40`x` Street Suite 400 Miami FL 33165 Dear Mr. McCloskey: .. Please accept this letter as official notification that the following billing issues have been approved: 1. All of our transport vehicles are ALS certified and may be shown as such for Medicare billing. • 2. All BLS codes may be changed to ALS codes for Medicare billing. 3. Medicare retroactive review requests for code change to ALS may begin. Any questions can be directed to Chief Mestas at 416-1653. Sincerely, i f C.A. enez Fire Chief ~~ ~_ c~~~ OEPnRTMEN r Oi FIRE•RESCUE/+++ S w 2nd AvenudM~+m~, f~ ] 1 I J(l/1 lQ;~ ~ I h~ i hUQ M,uhnp 1Jd~ett P Q 9u^ ] ]Q7nA M~+m~ FL 1 ]: 1 1•i)7gH ~,i . ,~ ~ Ir~TEA•OFFICE ~~iErtilOa,ar~outii Chief C. Gimenez Eire Department Joe Pirlon ~- Assistant City ager March l9, 1993 Medicare Advance Life Support rate In response to your memo dated Mazch 13, 1998, we need to answer the following questions: 1. Why was medicaze not billed in past? 2. When was.it discovered? 3. What lead to the discovery? 4. What is the procedure to begin the process of collecting immediately? 17 Please respond no later than Monday, Mazcll , 1998, so we proceed with the required approval JRP:xmc 98- 326 1. ~I' ~ ~ . .ll)~ ~~Illl)I1 Fri>lSlanl L Its ~~;Llla~Ur ~l A. i ez. Director Department of re-Rescue I~~afl'fl ~ ~. ~ l~~)~{ Rc;spunse to ~Icmu on ~(edicare Billing The following are the responses to your 1~farch l9, 1998 memo on 1~fedicare billing: Why was Medicare not billed in the past? Medicare teas been billed in the past. The difference is that we have billed them for both Basic Life Support Rates and Advanced Life Support rates. The new procedure allows us to bill at the higher Advanced Life Support rate for all transports. Ttus is how the additional revenue is generated. 2. When was it discovered? • The possibility of generating this revenue was discovered by staff personnel in the Emergeelicy Response Division a couple of months ago, after meeting with one of our billing companies. At that time it was brought to my attention. I then directed the Emergency Response Division to look into the matter and determine the feasibility of our department accessing this additional funding. I received a verbal report approximately four weeks ago indicating that it appeared to be a readily available extra funding source. I then gave instructions to contact an Assistant City Attorney for final legal verification. This morning the attorney, George Wysong, met with me in my office and verified that this was, in fact, legal and he had received paperwork from IVSedicare to that effect. I then signed the letters to our respective billing companies which directed them to begin billing all Medicare patients at the Advanced Life Support rate and to seek retroactive payment for iVledicare patients transported in the last six months. (Letters attached) 3. What led to the discovery? A meeting with one of our billing companies that indicated this could be done. 4. What is the procedure to begin the process of collecting immediately? The procedure is to notify our billing companies to begin billing Medicare patients at the Advanced Life support rate and to request retroactive compensation from Medicare for patients transported in the last six months who were billed at the Basic Life support rate. As [stated above, this has been accomplished. [t you require allditiunal information, please du nut hesitate to call. Pnlun rC:(7umC mcmu ,~n ~IcJic.uc billing Juc 98-- 326