Palmetto GBA, the Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) for North Carolina, has received approval to release Medicare claims already approved for payment on February 15, 2012. Palmetto GBA sought the waiver of payment floor rules in order to transition to the HealthCare Integrated General Ledger Accounting System (HIGLAS). This waiver will result in all payments being issued early, including both checks and Electronic Funds Transfers (EFTs), for all approved claims in North Carolina only.
The transition to HIGLAS began following the last payment cycle on Wednesday, February 15, 2012. Providers should continue to submit claims and make any routing corrections through the current Multi-Carrier System (MCS) as normal. The Palmetto GBA schedule for payments and Remittance Advices (RAs) will resume normal distribution following the North Carolina Part B transition to HIGLAS the week of February 20, 2012. As Palmetto GBA resumes issuing payments, providers will be able to retrieve ERAs as usual beginning February 22, 2013. Click here for more information from Palmetto GBA.
Palmetto GBA says all MACs will eventually convert from MCS to HIGLAS, creating a standardized system for Medicare claims, designed to track payments and to accurately pay claims. A more detailed presentation about the transition to HIGLAS can be viewed here.
