Conduent was the administrator of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Workers’ Compensation Program. Legacy providers received a Welcome Letter and a Security Letter in order to register on the new website. Chiropractor dealing with the Federal Government had another bureaucratic requirement to contend with. If the proper billing protocol is followed, patients with Federal Workers’ Compensation claims should be welcomed by chiropractors.

There are key teaching points.

The patient must be asked if he or she has previously reported the incident to his or her supervisor. A case file number will be assigned to the patient when the incident is reported. The patient will receive a letter from the Department of Labor with their assigned case number and date of injury. The Department of Labor’s approved diagnosis and procedure code for the case must be seen by the Chiropractor before treating the patient. Without this information, bill submissions will result in denials.

When the approved diagnosis and procedure code are obtained, the Chiropractor needs to check the procedure code that requires pre-authorization. Pre-authorization for a procedure code requires a script from the treating physician. The number of units and number of days required to the Department of Labor must be submitted by the Chiropractor after the script is received.

The maximum allowable payment must be received by the Chiropractor after the authorization for treatment is received. The Department of Labor’s fee schedule is different from the others. An office visit in L.A. County for a Federal Workers’ Compensation patient is more expensive than an office visit in L.A. County for Medicare.

New bill submissions can be made for a period of up to one calendar year instead of one fiscal year as required by Medicare, as well as adjusting previously submitted bills for a period of up to seven years. Keying errors or applying the wrong fee schedule can cause bills to be adjusted.

The submission of bills to the U.S. Department of Labor for patients with Federal Workers’ Compensation claims must follow a unique billing protocol.

Presented by: FECA Billing