After announcing on October 1 that Medicare claims payments would be delayed during the government shutdown, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) clarified on October 15 that only select claims will be held. CMS specified that only claims tied to lapsed legislative provisions, which include “services provided to beneficiaries in their homes and outside of rural areas, and hospice recertifications that require a face-to-face encounter” could face delays.
The earlier notification stated that all payments under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, ground ambulance transport claims, and all federally qualified health center claims would be affected.
“In light of the continuing government shutdown, CMS will continue to process and pay held claims in a timely manner with the exception of select claims for services impacted by the expired provisions,” the agency said this week. “To date, no payments have been delayed as statute already requires all claims to be held for a minimum of fourteen days, and this recent hold is consistent with that statutory requirement. Providers may continue to submit claims accordingly.”
