Effective Date

50.4.3 - Effective Date (Rev. 66, Issued: 01-07-11, Effective: 02-08-11, Implementation: 02-08-11) The effective date identified in a change request (CR) is the date on which any new rules, laws, processes and/or policies become active. Beginning on this date, Medicare contractors shall apply the new rules to process Medicare claims according to their updated business processes and supporting technology. The effective date is normally a mandated date resulting from legislation or a regulation. In the case of National Coverage Determinations (NCDs), the effective date is the first day the item or service that is the subject of the NCD is covered nationally under the Medicare Program. Effective dates are not always future dates; sometimes, they are in the past. When this happens, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) instructs contractors, using business requirements, how to process claims for the period between the effective date and the implementation date. Typically, the effective date is the first day of any given fiscal year quarter or the first day of the month.