UPINs under scrutiny
WITH BRUCE BOTHIS
Q: What's all the hoopla regarding surrogate UPIN numbers?
A. A report from the OIG dated September 2002 sheds light on the rampant incorrect use of surrogate UPIN numbers. The report estimates that 61% of 1999 sample DMERC claims were incorrectly billed using a surrogate UPIN rather than the ordering physician's permanent UPIN. A similar 2001 OIG report concluded that 14,000 different invalid UPIN numbers were used in 1999 with a cost to Medicare of over $32 million while an additional $59 million was paid on claims containing 28,000 inactive UPIN numbers (rumored to include several deceased physicians).
What does this mean to you as a supplier? It means that CMS will be looking much harder at the UPINs you use. There are only five valid surrogate UPINs you can use if the physician does not have a permanent UPIN. They are:
- RES000 - use for residents, interns or fellows
- VAD000 - use for active duty or VA physicians
- PHS000 - use for physicians in the Public Health Service (includes Indian Health Service)
- RET000 - use for retired physicians that have not been issued a permanent UPIN
- OTH000 - use for physicians not assigned a UPIN or not qualified for a surrogate UPIN
A little tip from me to you: Do not use OTH000 as a crutch just because you are too lazy to find out if the physician has a permanent UPIN. There are many places to obtain this number: a simple phone call to the doctor's office, a CD-ROM produced by the U.S. Government Printing Office or the Internet. Don't let your cash flow be interrupted by this small but important piece of information!
Bruce Brothis is President / CEO of Centralized Billing & Intake. He can be reached at 800-396-9910.
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