Novitas Update: Service Impacts Due To System Changes
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As a result of recent system changes at Novitas customers may experience the following temporary operational difficulties:
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Issue
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Cause/Resolution
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Status/Date Resolved
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What Can You Do?
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| Enrollment information not in Enrollment Inquiry Status Tool |
CMS-855s received after September 23, 2013 may not be entered in the Provider Enrollment Inquiry Status Tool as expected. This may not be an accurate method to determine if a CMS-855 application has been received by Novitas. We are working diligently to correct this issue with a goal that all applications are available for viewing by mid-November. |
11/01/2013: Progress continues, goal of mid-November continues to be achievable. |
Please do not resubmit your application as this compounds the problem. We suggest you check the status tool in about 10 to 12 days. |
| Enrollment determination letters are being duplicated |
Due to technical issues, some providers/suppliers may have, or will, receive duplicate auto-generated letters from Novitas’ Provider Enrollment department. |
11/01/2013: Aggressive pursuit of a resolution continues. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. |
If you receive duplicate letters, you may discard as you deem appropriate. |
| Appeal is not in Appeals Status Tool |
Appeals received after September 23, 2013 may not be entered in the Appeals Status Tool as expected. Therefore, this may not be an accurate method to determine if an Appeal request has been received by Novitas. |
11/01/2013: – Part A – We remain on track to resolve this issue this week. Part B – We are on track to resolve this issue by mid-November. |
Please do not resubmit Appeal(s) or call the Customer Contact Center repeatedly as these actions compound problems. |
| Delays are occurring with processes (e.g., Medical Review, Claims Processing) requiring submission of documentation |
Due to recent system changes, technical difficulties have been encountered by Novitas Solutions’ Mailroom with respect to imaging of submitted documents such as medical records and responses to inquiries. As a result, providers who have submitted medical records and/or other correspondence, in response to Additional Development Requests (ADR), Automated Development System (ADS) message or other communications such as submission of paperwork (PWK) may not be seeing these documents accurately reflected as such in the claims processing systems. |
11/01/2013: No delays are being experienced for documents submitted via fax to image. Delays experienced with documents, submitted via other methods, have decreased significantly. Please be assured that documentation has not been “lost”. Novitas Solutions continues to receive and process all incoming correspondence. |
Providers should submit documents via fax to image when possible. Please do not resubmit your documents or call the Customer Contact Center repeatedly as these actions compound problems. |
| Delays: Medical Review |
See description above. |
Part B 11/01/2013: In the event that ADRs time-out (i.e. at day 45) for non-receipt of documentation, auto-denial of the claim will occur. However, if timely submitted documentation becomes available, Medical Review will automatically reopen and work the claim. You will receive a letter notifying you of post-pay adjudication. |
If you receive a non-response denial letter, please wait 10 business days before calling the Customer Contact Center or submitting an appeal. Monitor for receipt of the post-pay adjudication letter during this time-period. |
| Delays: Claims Processing-Part B |
See description above. |
11/01/2013: In the event that ADRs time-out (i.e. at day 45) for non-receipt of documentation, relative to the imaging issue, we will work directly with providers to reopen / reprocess claims accordingly. |
No action is necessary. |
| Part B solicited cash refund checks are not being processed timely |
Novitas is experiencing delays in processing of Part B solicited cash. Because of this delay, the automatic system offset may occur. As a result: Novitas will still process your check as if we were processing it on the date of receipt. This means that if interest was automatically assessed in error and not due, it will be returned. If your debt is resolved, we are required to apply your payment to any other outstanding Medicare debt. If no additional monies are owed to Medicare, a check will be returned to you for any balance that remains. |
Ongoing |
There is no further action you need to take. |
| Long Wait Times for Customer Service |
Receipt of a high volume of calls in our Customer Contact Center is causing longer than usual wait times. We appreciate your patience. |
11/01/2013: The wait time to reach a customer service representative has improved over the month of October. We realize the wait time continues to be higher than normal and we continue to take the necessary steps to further reduce any delay providers may be experiencing. |
No action is necessary. |
| Website Content Pages Are Not Functioning Properly |
We are experiencing various issues when trying to review content on our Website. Content is displaying in a small, scrolling upper portion of the browser window, rather than on the full screen. Browser compatibility between the various versions of Internet Explorer (IE) is being investigated. Updates will be made as issues as identified to ensure all customers can effectively use our website. Recently identified is an issue where the website is being browsed without a “www” at the start of a link (“novitas-solutions.com” instead of “www.novitas-solutions.com”). This has found to cause the display issues being encountered. |
11/01/2013: Functionality (small scrolling window), has been resolved for IE 7, 8, 9, 10 and Firefox. Issues continue, however, with the latest versions of Safari and Chrome. We are working to identify how many of our customers are using these browser versions to determine the magnitude of the issue and prioritize resolution accordingly. The issue with the website being browsed without a “www” at the start of a link was resolved on 10/31/2013. Even if “www” is not present/added by the user, the system will add the “www” automatically. |
Should you encounter the display of text on our website as described here, please check your web address or hyperlink to determine if “www” is present as it should be. Example: Your browser (web address) or link reads “http://novitas-solutions.com”. If so, type in the “www” so it reads “http://www.novitas-solutions.com”. |
| Website Content Pages Are Not Functioning Properly When Accessed By Mobile Devices |
We are experiencing various issues when trying to review content on our Website when using a device like an iPad or iPhone. Content is displaying in a small, scrolling upper portion of the browser window, rather than on the full screen or content cannot be scrolled through. |
11/01/2013: Issues have been resolved on some, but not all, mobile devices. We are working to identify volume of use for the numerous mobile devices that are used by our provider communities. This will allow us to successfully prioritize needed solutions. |
No action is necessary. |
| A/B Selection Button On The Website Is Not Working |
The A/B selector button in the upper left hand corner is not working, when selected, on many modern browsers (e.g., Internet Explorer 9 and 10 and those on mobile devices such as Safari and Chrome). |
11/01/2013: Fix is in place. Testing is underway (see next item regarding refreshing). Content specific to your selection will be evident with the next click/link you make. |
Once you have made your selection (Part A or Part B), click on the item you are interested in. |
| Policy Pages (e.g., LCDs, Articles, and IDEs) Are Not Functioning Properly. The Policy Center on the website is not as robust as the previous version. |
We continue to experience problems with printing of some LCDs and articles directly from the website. We are working diligently on resolving this issue. |
11/01/2013: The print capability is being added to policies as the need is identified. We continue to prioritize issues and work to enhance the functionality of the policy area. |
A Temporary work around, for policies that do not contain a print option (absence of picture of a printer and the word “Print” in the upper right corner of the screen), is as follows: Pull up desired policy/article Click within the title Select Edit Select All Select Edit again Copy Paste into a word document We encourage providers to submit questions, concerns, and suggestions regarding the policy area of the website so that we can continue to enhance the webpage. |
| CERT Claim ID (CID) tool is not functioning. |
While coding modifications are being made, the CERT Claim ID tool is not available. Therefore, the tool cannot be used to determine the outcome of a review completed by CERT. |
Ongoing |
Providers can email the CID to Questcert@novitas-solutions.com . |
| Remittance Notices received are inappropriate |
Providers may be receiving remittance notices with the message “Missing/incomplete/invalid entitlement number or name shown on the claim” inappropriately. It is important to note that the claims have processed correctly. |
11/01/2013: The standard system maintainer has corrected the logic so that this message does not appear when not warranted. |
No action is necessary. |
| Validation of Beneficiary Eligibility may not be processing correctly |
Novitas is aware of issues with the process for validating beneficiary eligibility that is a result of an October release installed by the Fiscal Intermediary Shared System (FISS) and Common Working File (CWF) which is causing claims to reject erroneously, returning to the provider (RTP), or are unable to be processed. This issue appears to be limited to specific types of claims that are being sent back to the FISS under this new process and being applied to the claims incorrectly under certain circumstances. Novitas, and other contractors, are working with FISS to resolve these issues. |
11/01/2013: Part A: Primary impact is being seen on certain Part A claims. Part B: Impact is greatest with Veteran Affairs (VA) and centralized flu claims. A solution was recently installed. Tracking, to ensure this resolved the issue, is underway. |
No action is necessary. |
We will continue to provide updates as sent out by Novitas.
