CMS Announces Medicare Claims Filing Deadline Change - May 20, 2010

On May 7, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced that it would begin enforcing a Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) requirement that Medicare claims be submitted no later than 12 months from the date of service. Under the new rule, claims for services provided prior to October 1, 2009, will remain subject to pre-PPACA rules, so they must be filed by December 31, 2010. Claims for services provided between October 1, 2009 and December 31, 2009 must also be submitted by December 31, 2010 (as opposed to December 31, 2011, as would be the case under pre-PPACA rules). Finally, to avoid denial, claims for all services provided on January 1, 2010 going forward must be submitted within one year of their service date.