Font
Print must be Pica 10 or 12-point typeface. The type should be
Courier, letter quality, and is best submitted in all upper case
letters. None of the characters should be touching. Fonts should not
be mixed, and they should not be in italics or script. Special
characters should not be used, i.e., dollar signs, decimals, or
dashes.
Ink Color
Due to the use of Optical Character Recognition equipment, no red
ink should be used to complete a CMS-1500 claim form. This equipment
will “drop out” any red that is on the paper. The only ink that is
picked up correctly is true black ink. Any variation of blue,
purple, or red ink should not be used.
Another common error is claims that are submitted that have been
printed without red ink or the appropriate type of red ink. The
CMS–1500 claim form must be submitted using the scannable, red ink
version. These red ink versions can be purchased from a printer
company, such as the U.S. Government Printing Office by calling
(202) 512-1800. You can also contact the U.S. Government Printing
office at the following address:
Asst. Supt., Dept. of Acct., Rep. Div.
USGPO Room C-830
Washington, DC 20401
Alignment
Proper alignment of the CMS–1500 form information is necessary for
the claim to be processed correctly. Information should be centered
horizontally and vertically within the confines of each item box on
the 1500 form. All information should be aligned on the same
horizontal plane. The OCR equipment may not read information that is
not centered properly causing unnecessary denials or incorrect
payment. Only six line items should be entered per claim; do not
squeeze two lines of information on one line.
Dot Matrix Printers
Providers who use dot matrix printers run the risk of their claims
being processed slower and possibly incorrectly. OCR equipment is
unable to read claims submitted with dot matrix printers as there
are breaks in the letters or numbers. It is recommended that you use
an ink jet or laser printer to complete the CMS–1500 claim form.
Handwritten Claims
Medicare Part B Basic Billing Manual states: “Claims should not be
handwritten, upper case letters only must be used, print must be
Pica 10 or 12 point type face, and printer ink should be black
only.”
Stuffing Envelopes
NAS receives many overstuffed envelopes. This causes the material to
become damaged, partially received, or lost altogether before it
arrives in our office.
NAS recommends including no more than four sheets of paper per
regular #10 envelope. When submitting more than four pages, a larger
“flat” envelope that measures roughly 9” x 12” should be used. This
will reduce the need for folding claims, reducing the amount of
claims damaged during the opening process. Claims should not be
rubber banded or stapled together. When folding claims, one of the
“thirds” should be larger than the other two. This will leave a
small amount of space in the envelope that will allow our envelope
slicing and extracting equipment to open the envelope without
damaging the claims. DO NOT FOLD CLAIMS INTO EQUAL SECTIONS.
Envelopes should also contain similar contents. For example, one
envelope should contain claims, another should contain
correspondence. The time it takes to process all items received will
improve if different items are mailed separately.
PO Box Usage Reminder
Providers are encouraged to use the appropriate PO Box designated
for each state’s Medicare correspondence.Please send an
e-mail to info@MedClaimSoftware.com with any comments
or questions you might have. |
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