The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has recently updated all sections of the hospital-acquired conditions (HACs) and the present-on-admission (POA) indicator reporting Web site to describe the changes published in the CMS inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) fiscal year (FY) 2009 final rule. The HAC and POA indicator information is available on the CMS Web site at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/HospitalAcqCond/ .

Flu season is coming! It’s not too early to start vaccinating as soon as you receive vaccine. Encourage your patients to get a flu shot as it is still their best defense against the influenza virus. (Medicare provides coverage of the flu vaccine without any out-of-pocket costs to the Medicare patient. No deductible or copayment/coinsurance applies.) And don’t forget, health care workers also need to protect themselves. Get your flu shot -- not the flu.

Remember: Influenza vaccine plus its administration are covered Part B benefits. Note that influenza vaccine is not a Part D covered drug.

For information about Medicare coverage of the influenza virus vaccine and its administration as well as related educational resources for health care professions and their staff, please go to the CMS Web site http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNProducts/Downloads/flu_products.pdf .

To download the Medicare Part B Immunization Billing quick reference chart, go to the CMS Web site at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNProducts/downloads/qr_immun_bill.pdf .

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