Syracuse, New York – After thousands of Medicare claims for seven podiatrist offices throughout Central New York went unprocessed for nearly half a year due to a government glitch, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand cut through the bureaucratic tape and resolved the error, enabling the Podiatry Services of Central New York to finally receive between $45,000 and $60,000 in patient claims. Senator Gillibrand helped ease the serious financial strain that the Central New York offices faced due to the delay.
Dr. Edelman said, “We thank Senator Gillibrand and Carla Jursic from National Government Services for resolving this issue. For more than 20 years, we had almost no trouble with claims processing. But once the government switched from Upstate Medicare to National Government Services, we reached major roadblocks, which resulted in serious financial loss. Our office manager Bridget Edelman made countless phone calls in an attempt to correct the systems’ errors. We are relieved that Senator Gillibrand intervened and helped cut through the bureaucratic tape.”
Senator Gillibrand said, “With 60 percent of its patients on Medicare, the Podiatry Services of Central New York relies heavily on the Medicare billing system. I am happy to hear that the error was resolved, allowing the offices to continue to provide critical services for New Yorkers.”
Starting in September 2010, the Medicare NPI numbers needed to process billing information for three physicians became ineffective, blocking the process to submit claims for reimbursement. Two of the physicians’ Medicare numbers were soon fixed. The Medicare NPI number for Dr. Freddie Edelman, however, still did not clear.
Since Dr. Edelman brings in a majority of the patients, the Podiatry Services of Central New York was hit hard financially. The bureaucratic delay led to thousands of unpaid medical bills totaling between $45,000 and $60,000 across seven offices in Madison, Onondaga, Cayuga, Chenango, and Oswego counties. Had there been no other physicians taking in patients, the offices would have had to shut down.
After reaching out to the Centers for Medicare & Medicare Services (CMS) to no avail, Dr. Edelman asked Senator Gillibrand’s office for help in March to cut through the red tape. Senator Gillibrand’s office immediately worked with CMS to address Dr. Edelman’s concerns. Recently, CMS processed all of Dr. Edelman’s claims.