Pharmacy and Durable Medical Equipment (DME) providers who bill for certain medical supplies are invited to participate in a survey which will help the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) assess the benefits of using the Universal Product Number (UPN) on medical supply claim transactions.

Background
DHCS was granted an exception to the Transactions and Code Sets Rule of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in order to demonstrate the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of the UPN as an alternative to the Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) Level II codes for medical supply product identification. This survey is an important part of the feasibility and cost-effectiveness test, and will provide valuable input into a broader national evaluation of the UPN as a potential HIPAA coding standard.

Survey
The focus of this survey is on UPN billing for the following contracted medical supply categories:

• Diabetic testing supplies (blood glucose test strips, lancets and reagent tablets)
• Enteral nutrition
• Incontinence
• Ostomy
• Tracheostomy
• Urologicals
• Wound Care

Pharmacy and DME providers who bill for the above supply types are invited to participate in the survey. This survey is anonymous and responses will be held in the strictest confidence. The survey will be available through April 30, 2010.

To access the survey and instructions for completing it, click here: UPN Provider Satisfaction Survey.

DHCS greatly appreciates the participation and input of providers in this important survey.