1st Quarter 2008

CMS Road Map 2008

By John McDermott

In 2008, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has a busy regulatory calendar. Below is a list of the dates that are relevant for Covance's clients.

March 2008

• Deadline for submission of APC pass-through applications for third quarter 2008 (March 1)
• First deadline for submission of CPT applications for 2010 (March 5)
• Second quarter 2008 ASP amounts and quarterly OPPS changes announced (second half of March)
• Deadline for registration for ICD-9-CM Coordination and Maintenance Committee meeting at CMS (early March)
• ICD-9-CM Coordination and Maintenance Committee meeting for FY 2009 codes at CMS (March 19-20)

April 2008

• New ICD-9-CM procedure codes approved for new technologies take effect (April 1)
• Second quarter ASP amounts and quarterly OPPS changes take effect (April 1)
• Announcement of preliminary decisions on CY 2009 HCPCS codes (mid-April)
• HCPCS public meetings at CMS for CY 2009 codes begin (late April)

May 2008

• Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) proposed rule released (early May)
• HCPCS public meetings at CMS for CY 2009 codes end (late May)

June 2008

• Deadline for submission of APC pass-through applications for fourth quarter 2009 (June 1)
• First CPT Editorial Panel meeting for CY 2010 codes (June 5-8)
• Third quarter 2008 ASP amounts and quarterly OPPS changes announced (second half of June)

July 2008

• Third quarter ASP amounts and quarterly OPPS changes take effect (July 1)
• Second deadline for submission of CPT applications for CY 2010 (July 9)

August 2008

• IPPS Final rule released (early August)
• MPFS and OPPS/ASC proposed rules released (early August)
• APC Advisory Panel meeting (late August or early September)

September 2008

• Deadline for submission of APC pass-through applications for first quarter 2009 (early September)
• Fourth quarter 2008 ASP amounts and quarterly OPPS changes announced (second half of September)
• ICD-9-CM Coordination and Maintenance Committee meeting for FY 2010 codes at CMS (late September)

October 2008

• Implementation of FY 2009 IPPS final rule (October 1)
• Implementation of payment penalties for hospital-acquired infections identified in 2008 IPPS (October 1)
• New ICD-9-CM procedure codes for FY 2009 take effect (October 1)
• Fourth quarter ASP amounts and quarterly OPPS changes take effect (October 1)
• Physician enrollment in CAP for 2009 begins (October 1)
• Comment periods of CY 2009 MPFS and OPPS/ASC proposed rules end (early October)
• IPPS new technology add-on payment application for FY 2010 due (mid-October)
• Second CPT Editorial Panel meeting for CY 2010 codes (October 16-18)
• Final decisions on CY 2009 HCPCS codes released (late October or early November)

November 2008

• Release of CY 2009 MPFS and OPPS/ASC final rules (early November)
• Third deadline for submission of CPT applications for CY 2010 (November 5)
• Physician enrollment in CAP for 2009 ends (November 15)
• Beneficiary enrollment in Part D for 2009 begins (November 15)

December 2008

• Deadline for submission of APC pass-through applications for second quarter 2009 (early December)
• First quarter 2009 ASP amounts and quarterly OPPS changes announced (second half of December)
• Beneficiary enrollment in Part D for 2009 ends (December 31)

Covance would be happy to help your company stay on top of Medicare regulatory milestones as they occur throughout 2008 and beyond.