CMS Continues Push to Eliminate Paper Remittance Advice

Note this change in policy regarding Medicare billing: Physicians accustomed to receiving both an electronic remittance advice, or ERA, and a standard paper remittance, or SPR, soon may receive only the ERA.

As of June 1, at CMS' direction, Medicare carriers and durable medical equipment regional carriers will no longer provide SPRs to providers and suppliers who have been receiving ERA transactions for 45 days or longer.

The change reflects CMS' commitment to move Medicare transactions to an electronic system and thus reduce the cost of producing and mailing paper remittances.

Physicians who, for business reasons, prefer remittance advice in both paper and electronic formats can take action now to help prevent possible business disruptions associated with the June 1 cutoff of the SPR. One option is for physicians to print their own paper copy of the ERA using CMS' free software program, Medicare Remit Easy Print. (PDF file: 5 pages / 369 KB). More about PDFs.)

Details about the change and physicians' options are available in a special edition of CMS' online publication, Medlearn Matters (PDF file: 4 pages / 80 KB). More about PDFs.)