TrailBlazer Announces Final Medicare Administrative Contractor Schedule for Claims Processing in F...( DALLAS Feb. 19 /- TrailBlazer Hea...),Health

DALLAS, Feb. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- TrailBlazer Health Enterprises, LLC today released notice of the final implementation schedule outlining its plan for assuming responsibility for processing all Part A and Part B fee-for-service Medicare claims in Colorado, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas.

TrailBlazer also reiterated the availability of its Jurisdiction 4 (J4) Web site, which is being used to communicate details of the implementation to health care providers in those states. Providers may access the J4 Web site at http://www.trailblazerhealth.com/J4/Default.aspx .

According to the schedule, which has just been finalized by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), TrailBlazer will cut over the workloads from current Medicare contractors in the four-state region to its own offices beginning March 1. The four-state implementation is slated to be completed by mid-June 2008.

Last year, CMS announced the selection of TrailBlazer (http://www.trailblazerhealth.com) as the A/B Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) for the four states, known as Jurisdiction 4. CMS is in the process of replacing its fiscal intermediaries (for processing Part A claims) and carriers (for Part B claims) with 15 A/B MACs that will handle claims and perform related functions for both Parts A and B. Part A of Medicare provides coverage for inpatient hospital services, skilled nursing facilities, home health services and hospice care; Part B includes services of physicians, laboratories and other practitioners.

The implementation schedule states that providers in Oklahoma should begin submitting Part A and Part B fee-for-service claims to TrailBlazer beginning March 1. Part B claims from New Mexico providers also should be sent to TrailBlazer beginning March 1. Part B claims from Colorado providers should be sent to Tra
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