July 11, 2008

Additions, revisions, and newly truncated ICD-9 codes will be effective October 1, 2008.

We have prepared the 2008 changes to ICD-9 codes. A summary of these changes is available to current clients by logging in and visiting the Clients Only page. If you have questions or would like a copy emailed to you, contact support@yostengineering.com.

April 17, 2008

ABN Assistant users and administrators should note that Release 2006i will be available on May 5, 2008.

The 5/5/08 patch to ABN Assistant will include the following new features and changes:

• New CMS 131-R-131 ABN form in English (must be implemented by September 1st)
• New CMS 131-R-131 ABN form in Spanish (must be implemented by September 1st)
• New Report Option: Procedures with Rejections. Specify threshold for ABNs generated, and receive procedure code, description, total quantity, and dollar value.
• New Report Option: Top Physicians with Rejections. Specify threshold for ABNs generated, and receive physician name, total quantity, and dollar value.
• New Report Option: Physician Detail for Procedure Code. Specify procedure code, receive a list of physicians who had an ABN issued for that procedure, total number generated, percentage of all ABNs generated for that procedure, and dollar value.
• New Report Option: Rejections for Physician. Specify physician, receive a list of all procedures which generated ABNs, description, quantity, and dollar value.

(Note that this report data is available within existing reports, but these new reports provide an easy way to format and request the information without running more than one report, and without the need to reformat them on the user end. Thanks for the user suggestions!)

If you have any questions about the changes or installing the upgrade, please contact us!

March 21, 2008

The YEI FREE-NPI™ tool was released today for general purpose use. The tool is free to use, and requires no registration. Users may search information by NPI number, provider name, or facility name. Software vendors and web service providers who would like to implement the tool in their own products can contact sales@yostengineering.com for licensing options. Standard and custom versions of the tool and databases are available.

March 3, 2008

After long delays, on March 3, 2008, CMS has finally released the new ABN form. The new form replaces both the general use and laboratory use forms, as well as the NEMB forms. The forms were released on March 3, 2008, and must be implemented no later than September 1, 2008.

At this time, CMS has only released the English version of the new forms, and the Spanish one should be posted in the next few weeks. Our programmers are preparing the new formats, and will release an ABN Assistant version upgrade as soon as the final Spanish version is released. You should see the new versions in April or May, depending on how quickly CMS releases the Spanish version of the form.

You may review copies of the new forms and instructions under CLIENTS ONLY once you log in (the new forms and documentation are under the Medicare Documentation section).

Let us know if you have any questions, support@yostengineering.com

[CMS Official Announcement Follows]

ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE REVISED ABN MARCH 3, 2008

On Monday, March 3, 2008, CMS will implement use of the revised Advance Beneficiary Notice of Noncoverage (ABN) (CMS-R-131). This form replaces the General Use ABN (CMS-R-131-G), and the Lab ABN (CMS-R-131-L) for physician ordered laboratory tests. The form and notice instructions will be posted on the Beneficiary Notice Initiative web page (www.cms.hhs.govbni). We will post updated manual instructions and the Spanish version of the form on the BNI web page in the near future.

Some key features of the new form are that it:

• Has a new official title, the “Advance Beneficiary Notice of Noncoverage (ABN)”, in order to more clearly convey the purpose of the notice;
• Replaces both the existing ABN-G and ABN-L;
• May also be used for voluntary notifications, in place of the Notice of Exclusion from Medicare Benefits (NEMB);
• Has a mandatory field for cost estimates of the items/services at issue; and
• Includes a new beneficiary option, under which an individual may choose to receive an item/service, and pay for it out-of-pocket, rather than have a claim submitted to Medicare.

CMS will allow a 6-month transition period from the date of implementation for use of the revised form and instructions. Thus, all providers and suppliers must begin using the new ABN (CMS-R-131) no later than September 1, 2008. Questions about the new ABN may be sent to RevisedABN_ODF@cms.hhs.gov .

December 10, 2007

Additions, revisions, and newly deleted CPT and HCPCS codes will be effective January 1, 2008.

We have prepared the 2008 changes to CPT and HCPCS codes. A summary of these changes is available to current clients by logging in and visiting the Clients Only page, starting Monday, 12/10. If you have questions or would like a copy emailed to you, contact support@yostengineering.com.

August 17, 2007

Starting August 16th, 2007, ABN Assistant clients will now automatically receive a Change Report attached to their data update email notifications. These change reports will include the following:

• New CPT codes with LCDs or NCDs
• CPT codes no longer subject to an LCD or NCD
• New, changed, and deleted diagnosis codes on LCDs and NCDs
• Changes to other supporting information for any local or national policies

If you have any questions about the reports, or want the reports sent to any additional individuals at your facility, just let us know at support@yostengineering.com.

July 23, 2007

Additions, revisions, and newly truncated ICD-9 codes will be effective October 1, 2007.

We have prepared the 2007 changes to ICD-9 codes. A summary of these changes is available to current clients by logging in and visiting the Clients Only page, starting Thursday, 7/26. If you have questions or would like a copy emailed to you, contact support@yostengineering.com.

May 25, 2007

The proposed new ABN form was revised again by CMS after feedback received during the first comment period. The form has been primarily changed to streamline the language on the form and to try to improve some of the layout and format issues that were raised. The newest version also allows greater flexibility in labeling the columns and also provides an "Additional Information" area that may be used in a very flexible way for providing additional information, or noting that a patient refused to sign and getting a witness signature.

To review the newest version, which is open for public comment, go to http://www.cms.hhs.gov/PaperworkReductionActof1995 and then click on "PRA listing" and then "CMS-R-131." Any additional comments must be made by June 24th.

There is no date for implementation of the new form, although it is expected to be this summer or early Fall. We will continue to keep you updated on any news on the revised forms and/or completion requirements.

March 28, 2007

The instructions for the new ABN Form that has been proposed and is scheduled to become effective in July, now include the following language:

"If a beneficiary chooses to receive some, but not all of the items or services that are subject of the notice, the items and services in Blank (D) that they do not wish to receive may be crossed out, if this can be done in a way that also clearly strikes the reason(s) and cost information in Blanks (E) and (F) that correspond to that care. If this cannot be done clearly, a new ABN must be prepared."

This will provide an easier way to allow patients to choose to accept only some of the services, without having to re-generate multiple forms after they have reviewed the information and stated their preferences. This also provides official CMS guidance that the form remains valid if patients designate their wishes in this way.

For facilities generating paper ABN forms, the patient may mark such notations directly on the printed ABN form. For facilities using the e-signature module, the system already provides an option for allowing patients to choose to accept or refuse each procedure/test while they are signing the signature pad.

We will continue to keep you updated on any news on the revised forms and/or completion requirements.

March 27, 2007

YEI's Healthcare Operations Officer, Francesca Hartop, will be speaking at the Ohio Health Information Management Association's Annual Meeting. The session is titled "Patient Access to Meaningful Price Information: Why is it so hard?" A summary of her presentation is available through our office.

February 23, 2007

CMS has published a revised version of the ABN form, and is seeking feedback on the new format. Public comments may be made until April 24, 2007. Significant changes include:

• A cost estimate will become mandatory
• There will only be one format, and the old lab version of the ABN form will become invalid
• The provider information header must include a telephone number
• The patient name must include a middle name or initial if present on the patient's Medicare card
• The identification number may now be a hospital patient number, Medicare ID number, or other identification number
• A maximum of 6 services per ABN may be entered
• If patients want to continue (approve) only some of the services, the ABN must be broken into at least 2 forms. One for services the patient wants to receive, and one for services they are declining.
• The ABN form must be both signed and dated by the beneficiary. The date should not be automatically generated.
• The name of the form has been changed to "Advance Beneficiary Notice of Noncoverage (ABN)"
• ABN forms must be delivered to the patient in hard-copy (paper) format. However, patient signatures may be stored electronically.

The new ABN format is expected to be formalized in approximately June. YEI will of course provide a patch to update all users' systems with the new form as soon as it is approved for use. If you have any questions or concerns, or need additional information about the proposed changes, please contact our office.

January 17, 2007

Yost Engineering has integrated support for the e-Signature module into its core ABN Assistant software for medical necessity. YEI can provide the signature pads, setup and ongoing maintenance of the signature pads. This optional module allows facilities to quickly and easily collect electronic signatures directly onto an ABN (Advance Beneficiary Notice) form using an electronic signature pad.

If interested, please contact support@yostengineering.com.

December 28, 2006

The version F patch was released, and contains the following changes:

• Medicare-compliant LAB-version of ABN form added in both English and Spanish
• Added a Coverage Guidelines reason to the standard ABN checking results
• Integrated the eSignature Module option for clients subscribing to that feature

October 17, 2006

Additions, revisions, and retired CPT codes will be effective January 1, 2007.

We have prepared the 2007 changes to CPT codes. A summary of these changes in .pdf format, including revisions, deletions, and additions, has been posted to the Clients Only section of our webpage. Simply log-in to access the document - the 2007 CPT Changes Summary will be listed under the Healthcare Newsletters Archive.

September 28, 2006

October 9-11, 2006

Yost Engineering will be exhibiting in Denver, CO during the AHIMA 2006 Convention. If you are attending, be sure to stop by booth 1418 and say "Hi" to Aimee and Amy.

http://www.ahima.org/convention/2006/index.asp

August 20, 2006

Additions, revisions, and newly truncated ICD-9 codes will be effective October 1, 2006.

We have prepared the 2006 changes to ICD-9 codes. These changes will be available starting Wednesday, 8/16. If you would like an advance summary of the changes, send an email to support@yostengineering.com.

July 24, 2006

YEI will be exhibiting at each of the AdminaStar Medicare Open House Events in July, August, and September. Visit us at any of the following:

Medicare Part A

• July 27th in Chicago, IL
• August 8th in Indianapolis, IN
• August 15th in Columbus, OH
• August 23rd in Louisville, KY

Medicare Part B

• September 5 & 6 in Indianapolis, IN
• September 26 & 27 in Lexington, KY

July 5, 2006

EP-StaffCheck has been fully released as a web service. For a low annual fee, facilities may perform an unlimited number of excluded party verifications on medical staff, vendors, and employees. Individual checks are returned in seconds, and batch checks of entire staff or vendor listings may be submitted in batches, with results returned in minutes. For more information, visit the EP-StaffCheck page at http://healthcare.yostengineering.com/epstaffcheck.

June 14, 2006

We have added new carriers and payors to our list of available payor policies. In addition to Medicare policies for all 50 states and the territories, you can also subscribe to the following data sets:

• Aetna
• Anthem
• Blue Cross/Blue Shield
• CareFirst
• Empire
• Excellus
• Highmark
• Horizon
• Medicaid
• Premera
• Regence
• United Healthcare
• Wellmark
• Wellpoint

To order additional payor sets, contact YEI Support at 888-395-9029.

June 2, 2006

ABN Assistant version 2006 has been released, and is now available for all active clients to upgrade.

As a reminder, all releases are free of charge to current subscribers. Version 2006 includes enhanced support for multiple carriers and private payors, a new Coding Console, ActiveSearchTM technology, an updated user interface, and new reference tools. To see these and other new and upgraded features, contact our Support Desk for a web-based demo or new user training.

May 25, 2006

YEI is pleased to announce that we have migrated to a new web platform, including an updated application and database server. As part of this move, you will also notice a new webpage, and a direct link to our Healthcare Division: http://healthcare.yostengineering.com.

These changes should improve our efficiency, enhance our customer care, and allow us to further tailor our offerings for the various healthcare sector clients we service.

Over the next few weeks we will continue to add materials and new documents to the site and the Client-only libraries. If you have suggestions about the site or content, please feel free to forward those comments to us at support@yostengineering.com.

Change to Client Log-in Process

The way that you log in to our webpage to receive updates has changed. This does not affect automatic ABN Assistant updates done through the program.

You will log in using the following two pieces of information:

YEI License: (Check your records; same license as you have previously used in logging in)

Password: (Check your records; new passwords were emailed to all clients on 5/25/06)

The new passwords have been randomly generated, and once you have logged in the first time, you may change the password.

Improved Update Availability

In conjunction with our new application servers, we are also introducing rolling updates. Instead of one monthly update between the 15th and 25th, we will publish updates any time we have made a change in the databases that affect you. You are not required to download every update. Every update includes all previous changes, so missing one or more updates will not cause problems in your dataset.

This will allow us to push changes out to you faster, improving the overall accuracy of ABN Assistant and the Medical Necessity data subscriptions. This will also allow us to more quickly make changes that are released by carriers without advance notice.

April 24, 2006

Starting after your May update, you will begin receiving updates on a rolling basis. This will allow you to receive changes as quickly as 2 business days after a published change. For some clients, this means they will receive updates less frequently. For other clients, this means that updates will be available more frequently. For clients that maintain multiple databases that span numerous states, you may see new update files daily. Each file will be comprehensive, so you will not miss or lose information if you miss one or more updates. If you have any questions, contact support@yostengineering.com.

April 15, 2006

If you include usage warnings in your data files (such as male-only, female-only, etc.), a new flag is available for your use starting in the April file updates. New CodeTip sequence 13: Conscious Sedation included in procedure. If you have any questions or need further assistance or information, contact support@yostengineering.com.