JM
Palmetto GBA, Jurisdiction M
Palmetto GBA is the home health and hospice contractor for Jurisdiction M, which includes Illinois. Illinois Part A and B claims go to Wellpoint Federal J6; home health and hospice go to Palmetto JM.
Official pages: Palmetto GBA JM home health and hospice · CMS, A/B MAC Jurisdiction M
Recent JM bulletins
| Date | Contractor | States | Benefit | What changed | Primary source | Our coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-15 | Palmetto GBA JM | JM states incl. IL | Both | Provider Contact Center training and holiday closures (all times Eastern): The Provider Contact Center (PCC) closes Oct 21, Nov 11 and Dec 11 from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. ET, Nov 20 from 8 a.m. to noon ET, and Dec 18 from noon to 4:30 p.m. ET; offices close Nov 26 to 27 and Dec 24 to 25 | palmettogba.com/jmhhh/did/2twfn0m3ga | |
| 2026-10-15 | Palmetto GBA JM | JM states incl. IL | Both | Provider alert, "Your Responsibility When Using Outsourcers" (JM HHH Medicare News): CMS requires providers, billing companies and outsourcers to use the IVR or eServices for eligibility and claim status, and Palmetto reports more calls from vendors that don't. Providers should make sure their vendor gets remittance and appeal notices, has knowledgeable staff and uses the IVR and eServices. Palmetto may contact the billing provider about a vendor's pattern of misuse. Palmetto's words: "the responsibility to guard Medicare beneficiary Protected Health Information (PHI) lies with the provider and not with the outsourcing agency or billing company." No deadline given | palmettogba.com/jmhhh/did/as4lhg6636 | |
| 2026-10-12 | Palmetto GBA JM | IL, NC, OH, FL, TX, OK | HH | Home Health Review Choice Demonstration provider webinar: one session listed, Wednesday, Nov 4, 2026, 11 a.m. ET (10 a.m. CT); no later dates posted | palmettogba.com/jmhhh/did/bwjp5r0711 | |
| 2026-10-12 | Palmetto GBA JM | JM states incl. IL | Both | October 2026 release "dark days" for the Common Working File hosts ran Friday, Oct 2 through Sunday, Oct 4, 2026 (no times given). The IVR could not check claim status and the Provider Contact Center could not check eligibility tied to claim denials; eServices eligibility and claim status were not affected. The page does not say claims processing was affected | palmettogba.com/jmhhh/did/7fzg6at02q | |
| 2026-10-09 | Palmetto GBA JM | JM states incl. IL | Both | eServices Data Availability (title as listed on palmettogba.com; article body not captured yet) | palmettogba.com/jmhhh/did/9yqfbx5750 | |
| 2026-10-06 | Palmetto GBA JM | JM states incl. IL | Both | October 2026 quarterly release hold: claims with dates of service on or after Oct 1 held (hospice reason code 36452, HH PPS 37230, all claims WW999) and "may be released before or on October 14, 2026"; NOAs and NOEs not held | palmettogba.com/jmhhh/did/6532bvk7k1 | |
| 2026-10-06 | Palmetto GBA JM | JM states incl. IL | Both | Appeals Overview for Providers module (title as listed on palmettogba.com; article body not captured yet) | palmettogba.com/jmhhh/did/bwfmer7485 | |
| 2026-10-06 | Palmetto GBA JM | JM states incl. IL | Both | 2026 National Provider Enrollment Conference (NPEC) registration open (title as listed on palmettogba.com; article body not captured yet) | palmettogba.com/jmhhh/did/giynhna8vd | |
| 2026-10-05 | Palmetto GBA JM | JM states incl. IL | Both | Same 2027 amount-in-controversy notice: ALJ $200 unchanged; federal district court $2,000 from Jan 1, 2027 | palmettogba.com/jmhhh/did/97kfk41765 | |
| 2026-10-05 | Palmetto GBA JM | JM states incl. IL | Both | Appeal Levels and Timely Filing Limits: helpful information (title as listed on palmettogba.com; article body not captured yet) | palmettogba.com/jmhhh/did/bgwqxg4233 | |
| 2026-10-05 | Palmetto GBA JM | JM states incl. IL | Both | General Appeals Information (title as listed on palmettogba.com; article body not captured yet) | palmettogba.com/jmhhh/did/8eelx47841 | |
| 2026-09-30 | Palmetto GBA JM | JM states incl. IL | Hospice | Enforcement discretion for the mandatory hospice election statement addendum, elections Oct 1 to Dec 31, 2026 | palmettogba.com/jmhhh/did/3o2v0f6o0d |
National CMS instructions that every contractor carries out
| Date | Contractor | States | Benefit | What changed | Primary source | Our coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-09 | All MACs | All | Hospice | MM14227 revised: long-stay hospice edits that were switched off return with bypasses for transfers and changes of ownership; eff. 2027-04-01, impl. 2027-04-05 (R13997OTN, CR 14622, issued 2026-10-08) | cms.gov/files/document/mm14227-long-term-hospice | Our story |
| 2026-10-08 | All MACs | All | HH | R13996OTN: fixes "NOA not found" returns (reason code 19963) when an older NOA was purged from FISS; eff. 2027-04-01, impl. 2027-04-05; no MLN Matters article found | cms.gov/files/document/r13996otn.pdf | Our story |
| 2026-10-09 | All MACs | All | HH | MM14639 / R13988CP (CR 14639): January 2027 HH consolidated billing code update removes A4453 and A4459; eff. 2027-01-01, impl. 2027-01-04 | cms.gov/files/document/mm14639-hcpcs-codes-used- | Our story |
| 2026-10-08 | All MACs | All | Both | MLN Connects: HETS users must verify their email by December 1, 2026 to avoid rejected eligibility requests | cms.gov/training-education/medicare-learning-net | |
| 2026-10-01 | All MACs | All | Hospice | MLN Connects: initial implementation of the mandatory hospice election statement addendum (furnish within 5 calendar days of election; updates within 3 days of a plan of care change; enforcement discretion through Dec 31, 2026) | cms.gov/training-education/medicare-learning-net | |
| 2026-09-30 | All MACs | All | Hospice | Federal Register correction to the FY 2027 hospice wage index and payment rate final rule; eff. 2026-10-01 (FR doc 2026-20067) | federalregister.gov/documents/2026/09/30/2026-20 | |
| 2026-09-30 | All MACs | All | Hospice | R13976CP (CR 14557): FY 2027 hospice payment rates, cap, wage index and Pricer update; eff. 2026-10-01, impl. 2026-10-05 | cms.gov/files/document/r13976cp.pdf | |
| 2026-09-30 | All MACs | All | HH | R13974CP (CR 14631): January 2027 quarterly HH Grouper update; eff. 2027-01-01, impl. 2027-01-04 | cms.gov/files/document/r13974cp.pdf | |
| 2026-09-30 | All MACs | All | HH | R13972PI (CR 14627): Program Integrity Manual chapter 6 HH sections updated to include allowed practitioners; eff. and impl. 2026-11-02 | cms.gov/files/document/r13972pi.pdf |
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Informational only, not medical, billing, legal or clinical advice. Check the linked primary source and your Medicare Administrative Contractor.