New HFS Hospital Unit Telephone Hours Effective August 1, 2019
July 30, 2019
MEMORANDUM
New HFS Hospital Unit Telephone Hours – Effective August 1, 2019
The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) extends its appreciation to IHA members and/or their third-party billing vendors for their recent efforts to reduce routine calls to the Hospital Billing and Payment Support Unit through June 30, 2019. Department staff have been working diligently to reduce the backlog of hard copy claims and are currently working on claims received in November 2018. The review of these claims is a time consuming process involving claim-specific research to ensure proper review and processing.
To further reduce the backlog, beginning August 1, 2019, HFS will only be taking telephone inquiries on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., until further notice. This change will provide the Unit with the flexibility to re-deploy key billing consultants from answering the phones and ensure continued progress on reducing the backlog of hard copy claims. Even with the current inquiry limit of two accounts per facility per day, the growing volume of provider calls means that the consultants are unable to review and send hard copy claims for processing and payment. HFS will grant timely filing overrides as necessary during this period.
To minimize claims processing delays, hospitals should:
- Follow the technical guidelines for claim preparation outlined in an HFS Provider Notice (March 10, 2017);
- Use the standard UB-04 Override Request Form [HFS 1624A (N-8-15)]; and
- Refer to the Department’s website for available billing resources: Medical Providers Home page.