Shipboard Services Billed to the Carrier and Services Not Provided Within the United States
Pub. 100-04, chapter 1, section 10.1.4.7 of the Internet Only Manual currently states that services furnished by a physician or supplier in U.S. territorial waters must be furnished on board vessels of American registry and that the physician must be registered with the Coast Guard in
order for Medicare to make payment. However, section 10.1.4.7 of the manual is not consistent with Medicare law. Therefore, because section 10.1.4.7 of the manual is not consistent with Medicare law, CMS is clarifying that manual section in order to make it consistent with current Medicare law by removing the language that states the vessels must be of American registry and the physician must be registered with the
Coast Guard. CMS is also clarifying in Pub. 100-04, chapter 1, sections 10.1.4, and 10.1.4.1 and chapter 3, section 110.1 and in Pub. 100-02, chapter 16, section 60 that physician and ambulance services furnished in connection with a covered foreign hospitalization are covered.
Issued by: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
Issue Date: October 03, 2008
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