COLUMBIA, S.C.--Because HIPAA mandates that all insurance carriers now use HCPCS codes for billing DME, the SADMERC has been inundated with an unprecedented number of requests from manufacturers for coding verifications, the Medicare contractor reported last week.

For this reason, the SADMERC said it would be unable to respond to certain requests within its typical response time of 90 days.

During a CMS Open Door Forum last week, manufacturer representatives expressed concern, especially considering that the contractor will have to match existing power chair and scooter models with 49 newly introduced mobility billing codes before they become effective next year.

"Wheelchairs are a priority [for the SADMERC]," an official said at the forum, held Thursday in Washington, D.C. "We're anticipating these delays will not last long, probably for a few months, when the wheelchair coding events start happening," she said, adding that by the end of the year "the SADMERC will be back on track."

More information is posted on the SADMERC Web site, available by clicking here.