Providers continue to face a massive Medicare appeals backlog before the Office of Medicare Hearing and Appeals (OMHA). Pending appeals number in the hundreds of thousands and the current average processing time for an appeal is over three years, with newly filed appeals likely to reach closer to five. While OMHA and Medicare reimbursement appeals face endemic issues, new developments and alternative programs may present strategic opportunities for providers and chip away at the backlog.
Regulatory changes from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have come into play and are designed to provide clarity, reduce delays, and streamline the appeal process. For example, HHS has recently revamped the OMHA case processing manual, “deputized” OMHA attorney adjudicators, and determined that some decisions from the Departmental Appeals Board (the appellate level above OMHA) will now be precedential.
Additionally, OMHA and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have initiated new programs that provide alternatives to the traditional appeals procedure with the goal of reducing the backlog. These include 1) the OMHA Settlement Conference Facilitation alternative dispute resolution process; 2) the Statistical Sampling Initiative; 3) CMS’s Low Volume Appeals settlement options, and 4) CMS’s Formal Telephone Discussion Demonstration for Durable Medical Equipment providers. Further, recent Federal Circuit court cases, including American Hospital Association, et al v. Thomas Price, may significantly impact the Medicare appeals process.
During the AHLA Annual Meeting on Monday, June 25, McDermott lawyer and former OMHA attorney advisor, Nicholas Alarif, and Amanda Axeen, the Director of Program Evaluation & Policy at OMHA, will share their unique perspectives around the challenges faced by providers, as well as those faced by OMHA in administering the Medicare appeals process in the wake of such a huge surge of filings at the agency. The presentation will give providers a general understanding of developments at OMHA related to the Medicare appeals process and potential alternative avenues for pending appeal resolution, which may be strategically advantageous for their particular types of appeals. The presentation will also provide guidance as to alternative avenues for appeal resolution providers may qualify for, as well as the benefits and key considerations of each program.
Medicare Hearings and Appeals: Litigation, New Initiatives, and Opportunities to Exit the Backlog
AHLA Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL | June 25, 2018 | 3:15 – 4:15 pm | Registration and program details.
McDermott’s Cocktail Reception during the AHLA Annual Meeting
The Art Institute of Chicago | June 26, 2018 | 6:00 – 8:00 pm
Following the AHLA Annual Meeting programming on Tuesday, we invite you to join us for our annual cocktail reception at The Art Institute of Chicago. We look forward to an evening of networking, cocktails and private gallery tours with our colleagues, friends and fellow AHLA members. RSVP today!
