Ironclad rules of Medicare?

by: CHARLES FIEGL Apr 24, 2009

A faithful Part B News listserv poster recently passed along "The Ironclad Rules of Medicare." These rules, which according to one blogger are authored by a former HCFA employee, created a slight buzz among other listserv posters. What are your thoughts? How true are these rules?

"The Ironclad Rules of Medicare" by Larry Odey
Just because you have a code doesn't mean it's covered.
Just because it's covered doesn't mean you can bill for it.
Just because you can bill for it doesn't mean you'll get paid.
Just because you've been paid doesn't mean you can keep the money.
Just because you've been paid once doesn't mean you'll get paid again.
Just because you've been paid in one state doesn't mean you'll get paid in another state.
You'll never know all the rules.
Not knowing the rules can get you in jail.
There's always someone who doesn't get the message.
There's always someone who gets the message and ignores it.

To comment, login here.

Roberta Buell

May 4, 2009 4:52 PM

Larry Oday was employed by HCFA many years ago. He is a prominent and well respected Medicare attorney and wrote these rules a long time ago. They still crack me up!

BILLING MANAGER

May 4, 2009 4:40 PM

I agree absolutely with the above "Ironclad Rules..." I've been in this business for over 40 years and as the old saying goes...."The only constant is change". The "Rules" insure that informational businesses stay in business because the process of learning is ongoing when dealing with Medicare or any other insurance. The best we can do is do our best and keep learning, watching for change and adjusting. C'est le vie!! in Medicine anyway.

Login

User Name:
Password:
Remember me Forgot password
Welcome to the new Part B News Online. If you are a returning user having trouble logging in, please click here.