Medical Billing Forum

Billing => Billing => : laceyx08 November 07, 2011, 02:41:44 PM

: OfficeAlly and 5010
: laceyx08 November 07, 2011, 02:41:44 PM
I just got off the phone with Medicare and found out that as of 10/31/11 they are not accepting claims from vendors that are not 5010 ready, and I use OfficeAlly for my clearinghouse, and apparently they aren't ready. I guess I should've asked the guy while I had him on the phone but I didn't think of it until now.. would sending the claims on paper work in the meantime?
: Re: OfficeAlly and 5010
: billingandscanning November 07, 2011, 04:17:45 PM
I inquired with OfficeAlly and he stated that they are 5010 ready. I have not signed up with OfficeAlly, please let me know if you find out any information about this. Thank you.
: Re: OfficeAlly and 5010
: PMRNC November 07, 2011, 05:48:36 PM
according to their website they are within the deadline/testing phase: http://www.officeally.com/resourcecenter.aspx?id=95
: Re: OfficeAlly and 5010
: laceyx08 November 07, 2011, 06:01:45 PM
I thought that but the guy at medicare said they arent and they can't accept claims from them. Maybe he doesn't have his facts straight.
: Re: OfficeAlly and 5010
: Michele November 08, 2011, 10:07:29 AM
What state are you in?  We are submitting claims thru office ally to Medicare in multiple states.  Haven't had any problems yet.  I am researching it and will let you know but I'm wondering if it's a certain Medicare.  I wouldn't think they could refuse the claims prior to the deadline??  What's the point in telling people they have until 1/1 if you are going to implement it on 11/1??
: Re: OfficeAlly and 5010
: PMRNC November 08, 2011, 10:38:49 AM
I was going to say that but I DO think if vendors sign up to do testing maybe that's what it is.  OR could it be a Medicare advantage plan? They can't enforce the deadline, vendor's SHOULD be in testing phase..but the submissions are NOT mandatory until 1/1.   I bet that gets pushed back.. they are good for that.. getting us all hyped up and nervous only to push back deadline! ::)
: Re: OfficeAlly and 5010
: laceyx08 November 08, 2011, 02:09:03 PM
Michele I'm in Michigan. I called to get the status of my enrollment of my provider with OfficeAlly and I was missing something so I would have to send it back in, and he told me they aren't accepting claims from OfficeAlly right now because they are not ready. I keep hearing that OA is in the testing phase but yeah like you guys said, the deadline is 01/01/12 so this makes no sense to me. Maybe I should just send claims on paper in the meantime?
: Re: OfficeAlly and 5010
: DMK November 08, 2011, 03:55:21 PM
Just as an aside.....we use EClaims, and they are AWESOME!!! Great customer service and a reasonable charge.  They are all done with their testing and are ready for the 5010 change.  (I get to sleep tonight!)

My software (Chiro 8000) has a "new" version coming out to make their software compliant but they don't even have a price for the upgrade and they say it will be out "sometime at the end of the month".  Not a great answer.  So I called EClaims, they take the info I send them and make it compliant!  So cool!
: Re: OfficeAlly and 5010
: PMRNC November 08, 2011, 05:37:49 PM
Someone over at Medicare is mis-informed. They cannot force upon a deadline not here yet, call someone else over there, don't just accept that answer.  Also, the 5010 readiness is going to be left up to us and provider's.. some vendors will be ready and some will not, it's up to us to be certain claims are transmitted and 5010 ready. Stay on top of your vendors and if you become skeptical, SWITCH.. You can't go from electronic claims to paper, you must be compliant, the last thing you want to tell your provider is that you are going to paper because your software is not ready, that's not going to be acceptable.
: Re: OfficeAlly and 5010
: laceyx08 November 09, 2011, 12:31:48 AM
Well I guess it is true. Office Ally made an announcement on the website today:

"Following is a notice from one of the MAC websites:
Beginning November 1, 2011, all new providers submitting through an existing submitter ID (including billing services and clearinghouses) will be required to enroll/link using HIPAA version 5010. If the existing submitter ID is not certified for the version 5010 format, any enrollment requests to link new providers will be rejected and returned. This notice is in accordance with CMS Technical Direction Letter (TDL) 12035.

Action taken by Office Ally:
Office Ally has been actively testing the HIPAA 5010 format with the MACs and will begin to transition Payers to the 5010 format starting 12/1/2011 through 12/31/2011 to meet the 4010 cutoff date.
The status of the MACs will be listed on our website under Resource Center: 5010 Information once the transitioning begins. Updated enrollment forms for the MACs will also be available on our website once they become available."

It doesn't affect providers already enrolled with OA, but since I was trying to enroll a new provider, I can't until OA is 5010 ready. Pretty stupid that they're enforcing it 2 months early.
: Re: OfficeAlly and 5010
: ruthie72 November 10, 2011, 12:59:58 AM
I was just actually researching Office Ally to use ,  so are they ready? I also was wondering, do i have to have my own medical billing software in order to use Office Ally? Thanks
: Re: OfficeAlly and 5010
: laceyx08 November 10, 2011, 01:33:59 AM
no they aren't ready yet. they said they should be by 12/1. you don't have to have your own software, they have a free one called practice mate. i haven't used it so i don't know how it is.
: Re: OfficeAlly and 5010
: ruthie72 November 10, 2011, 11:48:35 AM
Thanks so much!! Ok. when i get my provider, with Practice mate , will that transfer his patient information over to my computer? and then i can do the claims from the information he sends me with Office Ally? I am still trying to figure all of this out..thanks so much..
: Re: OfficeAlly and 5010
: laceyx08 November 11, 2011, 02:41:20 AM
I'm not sure because I'm not familiar with Practice Mate, but I would be more than happy to give you their info so you can discuss it with them and they can answer your questions. They are very nice and very helpful there.

Email: info@officeally.com
Phone: (866) 575-4120 Option 1 (customer service)

Also, you can do a demo of Practice Mate. Just go to www.officeally.com, go to login on the left of the screen, select Practice Mate and log in with the demo user name and password. It's:
Username: oademo
Password: Password1

Hope this helps!
: Re: OfficeAlly and 5010
: ruthie72 November 12, 2011, 12:49:15 PM
Thanks so much i am going to call them asap!!
: Re: OfficeAlly and 5010
: Michele December 12, 2011, 08:19:54 PM
Office Ally is now fully transitioned with 5010.  Just in case anyone wasn't aware!  ;)
: Re: OfficeAlly and 5010
: PMRNC December 12, 2011, 08:54:39 PM
That would make me nervous going with a vendor who was cutting it so close to the deadline.. a month to test is really walking thin line.
: Re: OfficeAlly and 5010
: laceyx08 December 14, 2011, 10:31:39 PM
I just talked to them the other day and they said they are still in the testing phase with Medicare. So they are all set with everything? Cause that would be great!
: Re: OfficeAlly and 5010
: Michele December 15, 2011, 10:01:04 AM
We called this week and they advised us they were complete.  What state are you in?  We are in NY and our Medicare provider enrollments are now going thru, also, we did a virginia provider enrollment for Medicare and that went thru as well.

: Re: OfficeAlly and 5010
: laceyx08 December 15, 2011, 02:33:49 PM
Yeah they have told me they are complete too, but according to Medicare Michigan today, they are not submitting in the 5010 format and they can't enroll anymore providers under the submitter number until they are submitting in 5010.
: Re: OfficeAlly and 5010
: Michele December 16, 2011, 11:29:46 AM
Have you called OA?  Our EDI enrollments are going thru now, but I haven't done any for Michigan.  Maybe it's just a communication issue.
: Re: OfficeAlly and 5010
: QueenAlicia December 30, 2011, 05:10:44 AM
I thought everything was fine.  I logged on earlier this month and everything was in compliance. 
: Re: OfficeAlly and 5010
: laura391 February 08, 2012, 12:32:59 PM
I use office ally they are 5010 ready and have been. I have not had a problem at all with the 5010 conversion. The customer service is not updated but the 5010 is in place.
: Re: OfficeAlly and 5010
: camedbill February 11, 2012, 03:55:33 PM
Yes they are on 5010 and bouncing claims left and right.  Haven't had a week that some new errors either at OA or insurance company that doesn't bounce a claim for wrong reason or no reason.  5010 is causing more paper claims that it creates..thus far.
: Re: OfficeAlly and 5010
: PMRNC February 11, 2012, 04:04:39 PM
Yes they are on 5010 and bouncing claims left and right.  Haven't had a week that some new errors either at OA or insurance company that doesn't bounce a claim for wrong reason or no reason.  5010 is causing more paper claims that it creates..thus far.

Any problems incurred is going to be MOSTLY on the end of the clearinghouse itself, NOT with just 5010. I have not had ANY issues so far.
: Re: OfficeAlly and 5010
: Michele February 14, 2012, 02:10:22 PM
We also use OA, we've had a few minor glitches, denials but we were able to clear them up easily.  Not as much as a hiccup as I expected!