Recovery auditor Connolly will conduct automated reviews to detect invalid HIPPS or treatment authorization codes.
 
Both issues were approved by CMS April 1, according to the contractor’s website.
 
In its explanation of the HIPPS code issue, Connolly says that home health agencies “are billing with Health Insurance Prospective Payment System (HIPPS) codes that are invalid or no longer in use.” Similarly, agencies “are billing with Treatment Authorization Codes (Claim-OASIS Matching Key) that are of an invalid length or contain invalid characters.”
 
Connolly’s reviews will go back up to three years, counting based on the claim’s initial determination date. The reviews will affect all states in region C, which includes Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virgin Islands, Virginia and West Virginia.