What is Medicare connection

About the Medicare B Connection
The Medicare B Connection is a comprehensive publication developed by First Coast Service Options Inc. (First Coast) for Part B providers in Florida, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands and is distributed on a monthly basis.

Important notifications that require communication in between publications will be posted to the First Coast Medicare provider education website at http://medicare.fcso.com. In some cases, additional unscheduled special issues may be posted.

Who receives the Connection

Anyone may view, print, or download the Connection from our provider education website(s). Providers who cannot obtain the Connection from the Internet are required to register with us to receive a complimentary hardcopy.

Distribution of the Connection in hardcopy is limited to providers who have billed at least one Part B claim to First Coast Medicare during the twelve months prior to the release of each issue. Providers meeting these criteria are eligible to receive a complimentary copy of that issue, if a technical barrier exists that prevents
them from obtaining it from the Internet and they have returned a completed registration form to us.

Registration forms must be submitted annually or when you experience a change in circumstances that impacts your electronic access.

For additional copies, providers may purchase a separate annual subscription (see order form in the back of this issue). All issues published since 1997 may be downloaded from the Internet, free of charge.We use the same mailing address for all correspondence, and cannot designate that the Connection be sent to a
specific person/department within a provider’s office. To ensure continued receipt of all Medicare correspondence, providers must keep their addresses current with the Medicare Provider Enrollment department. Please remember that address changes must be done using the appropriate CMS-855.

Publication format

The Connection is arranged into distinct sections.

The Claims section provides claim submission requirements and tips.

The Coverage/Reimbursement section discusses specific CPT ®  and HCPCS procedure codes. It is arranged by categories (not specialties). For example, “Mental Health” would present coverage information of interest to psychiatrists, clinical psychologists and clinical social workers, rather than listing articles separately under individual provider specialties. Also presented in this section are changes to the Medicare physician fee schedule, and other pricing issues.

The section pertaining to Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) submission also includes information pertaining to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

The Local Coverage Determination section features summaries of new and revised local coverage determinations (LCDs) developed as a result of either local medical review or comprehensive data analysis initiatives.

The General Information section includes fraud and abuse, and national provider identifier topics, plus additional topics not included elsewhere.

In addition to the above, other sections include:

 • Educational Resources, and

Contact information for Florida, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The Medicare B Connection represents formal notice of coverage policies Articles included in each edition represent formal notice that specific coverage policies either have or will take effect on the date given. Providers are expected to read, understand, and abide by the policies outlined in this document to ensure compliance with Medicare coverage and payment guidelines.