Highmark Medicare Services (HMS) has transitioned to a new financial system on March 9, 2007.  This new system is called the Healthcare Integrated General Ledger Accounting System (HIGLAS).  The HIGLAS system is a uniform, dual-entry accounting system that will replace Medicare’s many accounting systems with a single unified system that will eventually be used by all Medicare contractors. 

The overpayment demand letters that are produced out of HIGLAS will only allow one number to be published in the letter.  That number is going to be 1-866-488-0548 for providers and 1-800-MEDICARE for beneficiaries.

HMS will still be offering immediate offset and honoring immediate offset requests as a means to repay a Medicare overpayment.  This option for repayment including the toll free line to request immediate offset will no longer be published in the letter.   However, you may notify Medicare that you want immediate offset by calling toll-free  1-888-291-2623. If you call and are required to leave a message and/or if its after 1:30 p.m, the request may not be processed until the following work day. You will be notified of the offset via the provider remittance from which the Medicare payment was withheld. Please refer to Section 24.9 for information on offset on the provider remittance.

For futher instructions please reference the Part B Reference Manual Chapter 24 to initiate offset.  Offset causes the overpayment amount to be withheld from future Medicare payments and can only be initiated on certain types of debt:

• Immediate offset can be initiated at the provider's request for non-MSP overpayment determinations and MSP overpayment determinations due to Conditional, Automobile/No Fault, Workers Compensation, Federal, Black Lung, Veteran's Administration and/or Liability
• Immediate Offset can NOT  be initiated for MSP overpayment determinations due to Working Aged, End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) and/or Disability.

To learn more about HIGLAS, please refer to the CMS website at www.cms.hhs.gov/higlas.  As more information becomes available regarding Highmark Medicare Services’ transition, it will be posted here on this HIGLAS website.

• HIGLAS Issue Log
  
• Immediate Offset to Repay Medicare Debt
  
• Demand Letters for Medicare Overpayments
   
•  Special Bulletin Announcing HIGLAS Transition (February 5, 2007)
   
•  Training Slide Presentation (February 5, 2007)