I was trolling through CMS's FAQ Web page and found these four situations where Medicare's Advanced Beneficiary Notice (ABN) should or should not be used when transporting a patient.  Two of these situations show an ABN is applicable, according to CMS. However, an ABN cannot be used if it's an emergency transport because the patient is under durress.

The House of Representatives' version of a major health reform bill is out. You may read the bill by clicking here. Reports indicate the proposal has a $1 trillion price tag over the next 10 years. In a quick glance, we've found several mentions of Medicare and Medicare Advantage throughout the document. We'll provide more analysis in a future issue of Part B News and on www.partbnews.com.

Channeling your inner Spielberg and filming an educational video about preventing the flu can earn you $2,500 from HHS. HHS announced a public service announcement (PSA) contest on its Web site recently. They're urging anyone with a digital video camera to upload on the Internet a 15, 30 or 60 second PSA informing and motivating people to prevent the spread of the H1N1 flu virus, which is more commonly known as the "swine flu."

The battle to pass a comprehensive health reform bill this summer has tightened as conservative and centrist Democrats take issue with its staggering price tag - despite attempts by the White House to grease the skids for reform.

Newsflash: CMS has made a small error. If you downloaded version 15.2 of the National Correct Coding Initiative (CCI) Edits for physicians either yesterday (July 6) or before 10 a.m. EST today, you've got the wrong file.