CMS Wants CERT Documentation, Too

BALTIMORE — CMS will be conducting follow-up calls to providers for the Comprehensive Error Rate Testing (CERT) program.

According to a message from the agency: "Our staff may contact you to obtain all necessary medical record documentation for claims reviewed under the CERT program. Although you may have already received letters and telephone calls from the CERT contractor, these additional efforts by CMS to obtain adequate documentation may change your claim's status from 'improper payment' to 'proper payment.' This will allow us to calculate a more accurate Medicare FFS error rate, while also reducing the amount of improper payments."