CMS reissued MLM SE17023 released on 01-24-2019 which clarifies physicians and non-physician practitioners need to identify the correct date of service for the services they provide to a Medicare patient.

RADIOLOGY SERVICES:

Typically, radiology services have two separate components: a professional and technical component. These services will have a PC/TC indicator of “1” on the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) Relative Value File. The technical component is billed on the date the patient had the test performed. When billing a global service, the provider can submit the professional component with a date of service reflecting when the review and interpretation is completed or can submit the date of service as the date the technical component was performed. This will allow ease of processing for both Medicare and the supplemental payers. If the provider did not perform a global service and instead performed only one component, the date of service for the technical component would the date the patient received the service and the date of service for the professional component would be the date the review and interpretation is completed.

SURGICAL AND ANATOMICAL PATHOLOGY SERVICES:

Surgical and anatomical pathology services may have two components: a professional and a technical component. These services will have a PC/TC indicator of “1” on the MPFS Relative Value File. The technical component is billed on the date the specimen was collected. This would be the surgery date. When billing a global service, the provider can submit the professional component with a date of service reflecting when the review and interpretation is completed or can submit the date of service as the date the technical component was performed. This will allow ease of processing for both Medicare and the supplemental payers. If the provider did not perform a global service and instead performed only one component, the

date of service for the technical component would the date the patient received the service and the date of service for the professional component would be the date the review and interpretation is completed. When the collection spans two calendar dates, use the date the specimen collection ended.

Here is a link to the MLM article:  https://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Medicare-Learning-Network-MLN/MLNMattersArticles/downloads/SE17023.pdf