Ironclad rules of Medicare?

by CHARLES FIEGL on 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.

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