The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is listening and wants to hear from you about your satisfaction with the services provided by Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) contractors that process and pay Medicare claims. CMS has launched the fifth annual Medicare Contractor Provider Satisfaction Survey (MCPSS). This survey offers Medicare FFS providers and suppliers an opportunity to give CMS feedback on their interactions with Medicare FFS contractors. Approximately 30,000 randomly selected providers will be notified in January that they have been selected to participate in the survey. CMS urges all health care providers selected to participate in the 2010 survey to take a few minutes to complete and return this important survey. To read the CMS press release announcing the launch of the 2010 MCPSS, please go to (http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MCPSS/Downloads/2010_MCPSS_contractor_survey.pdf). CMS is listening and wants to hear from you.
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It's Not Too Late to Get the Seasonal Flu Shot. While seasonal influenza outbreaks can happen as early as October, influenza activity usually peaks in January.[1] The seasonal flu vaccine is the best way to prevent infection and the complications associated with the flu. Re-vaccination is necessary each flu season because flu viruses change each year.
CMS is asking our health care provider community to please encourage your Medicare patients who haven't already done so to get their annual flu shot. It is also important to be sure that you immunize yourself and your staff.
Remember - Influenza vaccine plus its administration are covered Part B benefits. Note that influenza vaccine is NOT a Part D covered drug.
For information about Medicare's coverage of the seasonal influenza virus vaccine and its administration, as well as related educational resources for health care professionals and their staff, please go to http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNProducts/Downloads/flu_products.pdf on the CMS website. You will find a variety of resources that explain Medicare coverage and claims submission policies related to the seasonal influenza vaccine.
For information on Medicare policies related to H1N1 influenza, please go to http://www.cms.hhs.gov/H1N1 on the CMS website.
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Note: If you have problems accessing any hyperlink in this message, please copy and paste the URL into your Internet browser.
If you would like to unsubscribe from a specific provider listserv, please go to (https://list.nih.gov/cgi-bin/show_list_archives) to unsubscribe or to leave the appropriate listserv. Please DO NOT respond to this email. This email is a service of CMS and routed through an electronic mail server to communicate Medicare policy and operational changes and/or updates. Responses to this email are not routed to CMS personnel. Inquiries may be sent by going to (http://www.cms.hhs.gov/ContactCMS). Thank you.
[1] Seasonal Influenza, 2009-2010. Key Facts About Seasonal Flu Vaccine [online]. Atlanta, GA: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009 [cited 23 December 2009]. Available from the World Wide Web:
(http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/keyfacts.htm)
(http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/keyfacts.htm)
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