Last month President Obama signed into law the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), which resulted in some important changes to Medicare rules. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is announcing the changes that have the most immediate impact, and will continue to provide notice as implementation rules are developed. One of the changes that has the most immediate impact on physicians is the time limit for submitting claims. Medicare fee-for-service claims with dates of service on or after January 1, 2010, must be submitted within one calendar year of the date of service. Claims with dates of service before October 1, 2009, must follow the pre-PPACA timely filing rules. Claims with dates of service from October 1, 2009, through December 31, 2009, must be submitted by December 31, 2010.The following has been provided for easy reference.

DATE OF SERVICE                                            FILING DEADLINE

10/01/2008 TO 09/30/2009                                12/31/2010

10/01/2009 TO 12/31/2009                                12/31/2010

01/01/2010 AND AFTER                                     One year from date of service