CMS is implementing a new system edit that will automatically return hospice claims to the provider when two billing period requirements aren’t met.
 
The edits will take effect July 1, according to a Jan. 31 transmittal. Claims will be returned if the hospice submits more than one claim per month per beneficiary or if a claim spans more than one calendar month.
 
Neither of those monthly billing requirements is new, but this is the first time CMS has implemented enforcement for them. The only exception to the requirements is when a beneficiary revokes hospice and re-elects the benefit during the same month, CMS notes in the transmittal.