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26/Aug/2024

It’s been a busy 2024 for CMS. Since February 2024, over half a dozen updates have been made to Section 111 Mandatory Insurance Reporting and CMS’s policies.  

Ultimately, these new changes increase awareness and focus on post-settlement MSA spending, emphasizing the importance of utilizing a competent professional administrator 

What this means is you need Medivest more than ever to navigate these changes and keep all settlement parties from getting penalized for non-compliance!  

Medivest’s Professional Administration Helps Protect All Parties 

 

Pro-Admin:
Professional Administration for MSA Accounts by the professionals
 

  • Medivest claimant accounts saved over 70% of what they were billed by providers over the last 12 months
  • An average of 23.3% of the original MSA is disbursed to the surviving beneficiary or reversionary interest party upon the claimant’s death
  • During our 27 years of business, we have only had a 2% member cancellation rate due to unforeseen reasons other than death. This remarkable retention rate underscores the value and satisfaction our members experience with our services
  • Medivest members and clients can be confident that a Claims specialist will review every line item on every bill submitted, ensuring proper coordination of benefits

 

Self-Administration
The DIY solution with Medivest’s expert support

  • Don’t go it alone! Use a Self-Administration Kit to navigate the CMS government maze 
  • The Self-Administration Kit, an innovative tool first created by Medivest, is good for injured parties with a small MSA that is designed to exhaust in a short length of time. It provides guidance to individuals who opt to manage their own MSA, and pairs it with phone support and medical bill review from Medivest’s experienced Member Services team.  
  • However, a Self-Administration Kit still has limitations, particularly if multiple bills come in at once. So the settlement parties need to carefully consider Medivest for professional administration per CMS’s recommendation. 

 

Easy approach to navigate settlement compliance for Insurer, Self-insured, and TPA without adding ANY work to the adjuster’s already full plate. The streamline process of:

  • Medicare Status check/lien investigation to determine if MSA is recommended
  • Structured Settlement consultant for rated age and MSA funding 
  • MSA Allocation Report (if needed) 
  • Professional Administration of MSA 

CONTACT MEDIVEST TODAY – WE ARE HERE TO HELP!

877-725-2467 (Monday – Friday 8am to 5pm EST)

 

Summary/Takeaways 

MMSEA Section 111 Mandatory Insurer Reporting (NGHP)

Medicare is ramping up its data collection. New fields have been added to the Section 111 Claim Input File to capture WCMSA information on all Workers’ Compensation (WC) claims involving Medicare beneficiaries.  

These data collections will have a significant impact on reporting and WCMSA compliance for the use of non-submit and Evidence Based Medicare Set-Aside arrangements. By capturing this new data, Medicare will know when funds have exhausted, make more appropriate determinations regarding the coordination of benefits, and more thoroughly investigate which injury related medical payments they should be denying. The new fields will become effective 4/4/25. 

Self-Administration Toolkit, Version 1.6 

Under the WCMSA Guidelines, CMS has the right to recovery. Over 1/3 of Medicare recipients have a Medicare Advantage Plan (MAP). These plan providers have asked for the same recovery rights that CMS has. The last sentence in Section 4.1.3 of the new Self-Administration Toolkit takes the first steps to clearly spell out that CMS is extending their rights of recovery to MAP partners: 

If you are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage or prescription drug plan, please contact your plan to discuss your WCMSA, if you have not already done so.  

WCMSA Reference Guide, Version 4.3 

In the latest update of the WCMSA reference guide, Medicare Advantage Plans continue to be spotlighted. In Section 4.1.3, CMS states: 

CMS notifies Part C and D plan sponsors that a WCMSA has been approved and instructs plan sponsors to conduct Medicare Secondary Payer (MSP) investigations. However, CMS does not relay WCMSA details to plan sponsors… The administrator must provide details concerning treatments and medications used exclusively to treat a related illness or injury to the plan sponsor so the sponsor may avoid making primary payment in the future.

CMS instructs the MAP sponsors that a WCMSA exists but doesn’t share any specific details of the MSA. It seems inevitable that this will create a communication breakdown at some point. The onus of communication is put entirely on the administrator. For a professional administrator, this will be a common (and new) task, but for someone attempting to self-administer their WCMSA, a whole new world of responsibility and questions are about to be spotlighted.

For the full information on these alerts from CMS, please visit the “What’s New” page of their website. 

For Additional Information

Medivest will continue to monitor changes occurring at CMS and will keep its readers up to date when such changes are announced. For questions, feel free to reach out to the Medivest representative in your area by clicking here or call us direct at 877.725.2467 (Monday – Friday 8am to 5pm EST).

 


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02/Aug/2024

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a revised Workers’ Compensation Medicare Set-Aside Arrangement (WCMSA) Reference Guide (“Reference Guide”) Version 4.1 on August 1, 2024. This Reference Guide replaces Version 4.0 which was released on April 1, 2024. There are a few notable changes when comparing the two Reference Guides.   

Changes in Version 4.1 of this Guide Include the Following Changes

  • By CMS’ request, the guide has been updated with details about WCMSA coordination with other health insurers (Section 4.1.3).

To download the new WCMSA Reference Guide v4.1 click here.  

This guide reflects information compiled from all WCMSA Regional Office (RO) Memoranda issued by CMS, from information provided on the CMS website, from information provided by the Workers Compensation Review Contractor (WCRC), and from the CMS WCMSA Operating Rules. The intent of this reference guide is to consolidate and supplant all historical memoranda in a single point of reference. Please discontinue the reference of prior documents.

For Additional Information

Medivest will continue to monitor changes occurring at CMS and will keep its readers up to date when such changes are announced. For questions, feel free to reach out to the Medivest representative in your area by clicking here or call us direct at 877.725.2467.

 


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02/Aug/2024

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released the Self-Administration Toolkit for WCMSAs version 1.6 on August 1, 2024. The Toolkit replaces Version 1.5 which was released on May 15th.

To download the new Self-Administration Toolkit for WCMSA Version 1.6 click here.

Self-Administration with Additional Help

For injured parties who are considering self-administration, but who also want additional consultation on the process, Medivest provides a Self-Administration Kit. With purchase of the Medivest Medicare Set-Aside Self-Administration Kit, the injured person will receive a one-hour consultation on the proper administration of a Medicare Set-Aside account, covering topics including:

  • Where to deposit and hold Medicare Set-aside funds
  • Which expenses are allowed to be paid from a Medicare Set-Aside account
  • What rates must be used to negotiate and pay for expenses
  • How to annually report the Medicare Set-aside to the CMS
  • What to do if the MSA funds exhaust temporarily or permanently
  • How to discuss a Medicare set-aside with a medical provider
  • What are the tax implications of interest earned on Medicare Set-Aside funds

 

For Additional Information

Medivest will continue to monitor changes occurring at CMS and will keep its readers up to date when such changes are announced. For questions about self-administration, professional administration or anything else regarding rules and recommendations from CMS, feel free to reach out to the Medivest representative in your area by clicking here or call us direct at 877.725.2467.

 


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30/Jul/2024

On July 19, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) created a new reference guide which will be referred to as, Non-Group Health Plan (NGHP) Medicare Secondary Payer (MSP) Beneficiary Reference Guide version 1.1.

The update provides details on the process of recovering conditional payments from the Medicare beneficiary, which typically involve the following steps:

  1. Reporting the case to the BCRC
  2. BCRC issues a Rights and Responsibilities letter
  3. BCRC identifies Medicare’s interim recovery amount and issues the CPL
  4. BCRC issues a Conditional Payment Notification (CPN)
  5. Dispute Process
  6. BCRC issues a recovery demand letter
  7. Assessment of Interest and Failure to Respond
  8. Referral of debt to the Department of Treasury

 

For further details on the steps of recovering conditional payments, visit CMS’ website here. To download the Non-Group Health Plan (NGHP) Medicare Secondary Payer (MSP) Beneficiary Reference Guide Version 1.1 by clicking here.

DISCLAIMER:

This guide is intended to provide Medicare beneficiaries with a reference manual to help them navigate the Medicare conditional payment recovery process. It is in no way intended as an exhaustive, step-by-step guide, nor is it intended to replace, supersede, or otherwise contradict any existing policy or procedural guidance. If anything in this manual appears to create ambiguity or to alter an existing process or obligation in any way, we recommend that the reader seek further guidance.

For Additional Information

Medivest will continue to monitor changes occurring at CMS and will keep its readers up to date when such changes are announced. For questions, feel free to reach out to the Medivest representative in your area by clicking here or call us direct at 877.725.2467.

 

 


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22/May/2024

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released the Self-Administration Toolkit for WCMSAs version 1.5 on May 15, 2024.  The Toolkit replaces Version 1.4 which was released on July 3, 2023.

To download the new Self-Administration Toolkit for WCMSA Version 1.5 click here.

Self-Administration With Additional Help

For injured parties who are considering self-administration, but who also want additional consultation on the process, Medivest provides a Self-Administration Kit. With purchase of the Medivest Medicare Set-Aside Self-Administration Kit, the injured person will receive a one-hour consultation on the proper administration of a Medicare Set-Aside account, covering topics including:

    • Where to deposit and hold Medicare Set-aside funds
    • Which expenses are allowed to be paid from a Medicare Set-Aside account
    • What rates must be used to negotiate and pay for expenses
    • How to annually report the Medicare Set-aside to the CMS
    • What to do if the MSA funds exhaust temporarily or permanently
    • How to discuss a Medicare set-aside with a medical provider
    • What are the tax implications of interest earned on Medicare Set-Aside funds

     

For Additional Information

Medivest will continue to monitor changes occurring at CMS and will keep its readers up to date when such changes are announced. For questions about self administration, professional administration or anything else regarding rules and recommendations from CMS, feel free to reach out to the Medivest representative in your area by clicking here or call us direct at 877.725.2467.

 


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09/Apr/2024

On April 1, 2024, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) updated the MMSEA Section 111 Non-Group Health Plan (NGHP) User Guide version 7.5. It has been posted to the NGHP User Guide page on CMS.gov.  The NGHP User Guide version 7.5 replaces Version 7.4 which was released on January, 30, 2024.

To download the updated MMSEA Section 111 NGHP User Guide 7.5 click here.

MMSEA III- April 1, 2024 – NGHP User Guide Downloads 7.5

Updates:  There are no changes for this version

Updates:  There are no changes for this version.

Updates:   The submission of information related to Workers’ Compensation Medicare Set-Aside Arrangements (WCMSAs) will be required for all records submitted with a TPOC date after April 4, 2025 (Section 6.5.1.1). As of January 1, 2024, the threshold for physical trauma-based liability insurance settlements will remain at $750. CMS will maintain the $750 threshold for no-fault insurance and workers’ compensation settlements, where the no-fault insurer or workers’ compensation entity does not otherwise have ongoing responsibility for medicals (Section 6.4).

Updates:  The submission of information related to Workers’ Compensation Medicare Set-Aside Arrangements (WCMSAs) will be required for all records submitted with a TPOC date after April 4, 2025 (Sections 6.1, 6.4.4, and 6.5). As of January 1, 2024, the threshold for physical trauma-based liability insurance settlements will remain at $750. CMS will maintain the $750 threshold for no-fault insurance and workers’ compensation settlements, where the no-fault insurer or workers’ compensation entity does not otherwise have ongoing responsibility for medicals (Section 6.4).

Updates:  Beginning April 4, 2025, CMS will collect information about WCMSAs through Section 111 reporting. To support this effort, related fields have been added to the Claim Input File Detail Record; note that as the current file layout is unchanged, all the not-yet-implemented codes are marked with an asterisk (*) in the field number to distinguish them from the those in the current file layout. Once they are in effect, all the asterisks will be removed and the fields that follow them will be renumbered. Error codes related to these fields have also been added to the Claim Response File Error Code Resolution Table (Appendix A and Appendix G).

Updates:  The end-of-line character has been clarified for files using HEW software (270/271 File Translation).

For Additional Information

Medivest will continue to monitor changes occurring at CMS and will keep its readers up to date when such changes are announced. For questions, feel free to reach out to the Medivest representative in your area by clicking here or call us direct at 877.725.2467.

 


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02/Apr/2024

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a revised Workers’ Compensation Medicare Set-Aside Arrangement (WCMSA) Reference Guide (“Reference Guide”) Version 4.0 on April 1, 2024. This Reference Guide replaces Version 3.9 which was released on May 15, 2023. There are a few notable changes when comparing the two Reference Guides.   

Changes in This Version 4.0 of this Guide Include the Following Changes:

  • Instruction specific to beneficiaries has been added to encourage them to use their Medicare.gov access to the portal for the most efficient method of submitting attestations (Sections 11.1.1 and 17.5). This user-friendly mechanism which allows CMS to gain potentially more MSA spending information than it has received via traditional mailing, may lead to CMS denying more future medical claims or potentially considering whether recovery of future medical payments that slipped through the cracks is viable. 
  • The CDC Life Table link was updated (10.3) – available to view here.

 

To download the new WCMSA Reference Guide v4.0 click hereThis guide reflects information compiled from all WCMSA Regional Office (RO) Memoranda issued by CMS, from information provided on the CMS website, from information provided by the Workers Compensation Review Contractor (WCRC), and from the CMS WCMSA Operating Rules. The intent of this reference guide is to consolidate and supplant all historical memoranda in a single point of reference. Please discontinue the reference of prior documents.

For Additional Information

Medivest will continue to monitor changes occurring at CMS and will keep its readers up to date when such changes are announced. For questions, feel free to reach out to the Medivest representative in your area by clicking here or call us direct at 877.725.2467.

 


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25/Mar/2024

On Tuesday April 16, 2024, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will be hosting a second webinar regarding the expansion of Section 111 Non-Group Health Plan (NGHP) Total Payment Obligation to Claimant (TPOC) reporting to include Workers’ Compensation Medicare Set-Aside (WCMSA) information. After the first webinar in November, CMS received additional questions and feedback from the industry. The intent of this webinar is to ensure that RREs will be prepared for the change once implemented.

With that in mind, this webinar will include a background recap, summary of technical details, updated timelines and CMP impacts. The presentation will be followed by a question and answer session. Because this expansion impacts reporting of WCMSAs, it is strongly recommended that Responsible Reporting Entities (RREs) that report Workers’ Compensation settlements attend.


 

Date:  April 16, 2024
Time:  2:00 PM EST

Webinar Link: https://cms.zoomgov.com/s/1610015349?pwd=NHcza3NhcDlCdjM0cVhENWlNcFBjZz09
Passcode:  750766

Or to connect via phone:

Conference Dial In:  1-833-568-8864
Conference Passcode:  161 001 5349


 

Additional information about the most recent updates from CMS can be found here. If you have questions on how topics discussed in this webinar may affect your clients or your company, please contact Medivest or call us at 877.725.2467.

 


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26/Feb/2024

On Friday, February 23, 2024, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published an alert regarding the upcoming change to Section 111 reporting to include Workers’ Compensation Medicare Set-Aside (WCMSA) amounts for Workers’ Compensation settlements meeting the $750 threshold regardless of whether the WCMSA was submitted to CMS for approval or not.

“All MSA funding for WC settlements shall be reported regardless of whether or not an approval was previously sought from the CMS. This change will be prospective for the Total Payment Obligation to Claimant (TPOC)s on or after the implementation date. For example, records submitted on a production file with a TPOC date on or after April 4, 2025, will be subject to the new edits.”

Please note that testing of the new fields will be available as early as October 7, 2024. The full alert is available at in the Download section of the NGHP Alerts page here.

For Additional Information

Count on Medivest to help keep you up to date with the constant updates, guidance, and rule changes related to CMS’s enforcement of the MSP on a regular basis. For questions, feel free to reach out to the Medivest representative in your area by clicking here or call us direct at 877.725.2467.

 


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15/Feb/2024

CMS has announced that it is maintaining the $750 Section 111 reporting threshold and the $750 Medicare Secondary Payer statute’s (MSP) recovery thresholds for 2024. CMS’s announcement that can be found here.

The CMS notification states, “Beginning January 1, 2024, the threshold for physical trauma-based liability insurance settlements will remain at $750. CMS will maintain the $750 threshold for no-fault insurance and workers’ compensation settlements, where the no-fault insurer or workers’ compensation entity does not otherwise have ongoing responsibly for medicals.

This means that entities are not required to report, and CMS will not seek recovery on settlements, as outlined above. Please note that the liability insurance (including self-insurance) threshold does not apply to settlements for alleged ingestion, implantation, or exposure cases.

Additional information regarding the methodology used to determine the threshold is also provided at the link to the announcement.

For Additional Information

Medivest will continue to monitor news and updates from CMS, and will keep its readers up to date when important announcements are made. For questions about this chart or any other recent updates, feel free to reach out to the Medivest representative in your area by clicking here or call us direct at 877.725.2467.


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