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Hospices that don’t have a Part B bil-ling number will have to do some extra paperwork to secure payment for vaccinations.

In a transmittal released in May, the Cen-ters for Medicare & Medicaid Services makes clear that vaccinations are a hospice’s responsibility. "These services are only covered when provided to hospice beneficiaries by their hospice provider," CMS says in CR 8908. "This Change Request (CR) updates Medicare systems to prevent non-hospice providers from providing vaccines to hospice beneficiaries." The edits enforcing this requirement will take effect next month (see Eli’s HCW, Vol. XXII, No. 20).

But how can hospices bill for the shots? That’s what one hospice agency asked HHH Medi-care Administrative Contractor Palmetto GBA in a July 16 Ask the Contractor Teleconference.

"These vaccines should be billed to the local A/B Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) on the 1500 claim form and not on the UB-04 claim form," Palmetto advises in its recently posted question-and-answer set from the ACT. "Payment is made using the same methodology as if they were a supplier."

Do this: "Hospices that do not have a supplier number should contact their local A/B MAC to obtain one as these vaccinations would not be billable under their current hospice provider number," Palmetto instructs.