ATLANTA — Last week, the DME MACs said they are instituting a billing and payment policy for common repairs based on standardized labor times effective for claims with dates of service on or after April 1, 2009.

The effective date of the policy, which applies to non-rented and out-of-warranty items, coincides with the effective date of the new code for repairs of non-oxygen equipment: K0739 - repair of non-routine service for DME other than oxygen requiring the skill of a technician, labor component, per 15 minutes. One unit of service equals 15 minutes, according the MACs' message, and code E1340 will no longer be valid for repairs with dates of service on or after April 1.

A table in the notice contains repair units of service allowances for commonly repaired items. The notice said units of service include basic troubleshooting and problem diagnosis and reminded providers "that there is no Medicare payment for travel time or equipment pick-up and/or delivery."

View the table and read the message in full from NAS, the Jurisdiction D DME MAC.