Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services Office of Medicaid 600 Washington Street Boston, MA 02111 www.mass.gov/masshealth MassHealth All Provider Bulletin 177 September 2008 TO: All Providers Participating in MassHealth FROM: Tom Dehner, Medicaid Director RE: Rescheduling of NewMMIS Implementation and Preparation Activities Introduction This bulletin announces the rescheduling of the implementation of NewMMIS and describes the events that you will need to be aware of, as well as some key actions you should take to prepare for the implementation. Implementation Date The implementation of NewMMIS has been rescheduled to early January 2009, to allow MassHealth to continue internal testing to ensure that the new system functions as designed. The rescheduling also gives MassHealth providers additional time to prepare for the transition to NewMMIS. Additionally, as a result of the rescheduled implementation, the issuance of the new MassHealth member ID cards, as described in All Provider Bulletin 176, will be rescheduled. Although the implementation has been rescheduled, you should not stop or delay your preparation activities for implementation. You should continue to * review HIPAA companion guides; * review billing instructions; * prepare your systems for billing paper and electronic claims; * coordinate with billing intermediaries and software vendors; * prepare your operations for implementation; and * attend NewMMIS information and training sessions. (continued on next page) Recipient Eligibility Verification System On June 30, 2008, the Recipient Eligibility Verification System REVS) began displaying the NewMMIS 12-digit member ID in the eligibility response. The current 10-digit member ID number will continue to appear in REVS and will remain the correct number for billing until NewMMIS implementation. Provider Action: * The NewMMIS 12-digit member ID number is reported as part of a restrictive message. Providers should collect this information and add it to their internal practice management systems and patient records well in advance of NewMMIS implementation. If your software is not capable of maintaining both ID numbers, consider keeping a separate list of ID numbers that you can add to your system upon implementation of NewMMIS. * Providers must not submit claims with the new member ID numbers until NewMMIS implementation. MassHealth will not process claims that are submitted with the new member ID number before NewMMIS implementation. MassHealth is also modifying REVSpc software to support system-to- system batch eligibility submissions to NewMMIS. The new software will be available for download before implementation. The updated REVSpc software, which will provide many functions that are similar to those offered today, cannot be used until NewMMIS implementation. For more information about system-to-system transactions, visit www.mass.gov/masshealth/newmmis. New MassHealth Cards MassHealth plans to begin mailing the new member ID cards in October 2008. Eligible MassHealth members will receive a new MassHealth ID card containing their new 12-digit MassHealth ID number. The new MassHealth cards will no longer be issued at the head-of-household level. Instead, each MassHealth member will receive his or her own card. As mentioned previously in this bulletin, providers should continue to use the member’s 10-digit MassHealth member ID number until NewMMIS implementation. Refer to All Provider Bulletin 176 for more details about the issuance and use of the new MassHealth member ID cards. (continued on next page) Trading Partner Testing In June, MassHealth began trading-partner testing for the HIPAA batch transactions with a small number of providers who have agreed to participate in Phase I of the NewMMIS Pilot. Trading-partner testing has focused on HIPAA-compliance testing to ensure that the transactions will be accepted. Provider Action: * Check with your vendors to confirm their readiness for NewMMIS implementation. Selected billing intermediaries and software vendors will be contacted separately to begin testing. * If you or your vendor plan to submit HIPAA batch transactions in NewMMIS, you should review the draft companion guides posted on the MassHealth Web site at www.mass.gov/masshealth/newmmis. * It is important that you begin to modify your systems now, if you have not begun already, to ensure that you are ready to submit batch transactions in NewMMIS without interruption. In late August, MassHealth will also begin trading-partner testing for 300 trading partners (providers, software vendors, and billing intermediaries). MassHealth will contact the participants for this testing directly. Additional information about other trading-partner-testing activities will be provided in future bulletins and at NewMMIS training sessions. NewMMIS Web Page The MassHealth NewMMIS Web page provides a single source for all information that providers will need for the implementation. As additional information and materials become available, MassHealth updates the Web page. You can visit the page directly at www.mass.gov/masshealth/newmmis. Please add this page to your favorites (“bookmark” this page) on your Web browser. Other Publications Although the implementation date for NewMMIS has changed, the information and timelines listed in All Provider Bulletin 175 and All Provider Bulletin 176 are still applicable to preparation and implementation activities. You can download these bulletins from the NewMMIS Web page. Questions If you have any questions about the information in this bulletin, please contact MassHealth Customer Service at 1-800-841-2900, e-mail your inquiry to providersupport@mahealth.net, or fax your inquiry to 617-988-8974.