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07/Oct/2024

On October 7, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) updated the MMSEA Section 111 NGHP User Guide to version 7.7. It has been posted to the NGHP User Guide page, found here. The NGHP User Guide to version 7.7 replaces Version 7.6 which was released on July 2, 2024.

MMSEA III – October 7, 2024 – NGHP User Guide Downloads 7.7

Updates: The updates listed below have been made to the Introduction and Overview Chapter Version 7.7 of the NGHP User Guide. As indicated on prior Section 111 NGHP Town Hall teleconferences, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) continue to review reporting requirements and will post any applicable updates in the form of revisions to Alerts and the user guide as necessary. The table describing system-generated emails has been updated to include information for the RRE ID Notification email that is sent once a user completes the initial registration function and the Successful Registration PIN email that is sent once vetting is successful on the Section 111 COB Secure Website (COBSW) (Table 7-1).

Updates: The update listed below has been made to the Registration Procedures Chapter Version 7.7 of the NGHP User Guide. As indicated on prior Section 111 NGHP Town Hall teleconferences, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) continue to review reporting requirements and will post any applicable updates in the form of revisions to Alerts and the user guide as necessary. The table describing system-generated emails has been updated to include information for the RRE ID Notification email that is sent once a user completes the initial registration function and the Successful Registration PIN email that is sent once vetting is successful on the Section 111 COB Secure Website (COBSW) (Table 6-4).

Updates: The updates listed below have been made to the Policy Guidance Chapter Version 7.7 of the NGHP User Guide. As indicated on prior Section 111 NGHP Town Hall teleconferences, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) continue to review reporting requirements and will post any applicable updates in the form of revisions to Alerts and the user guide as necessary. For clarification, a note has been added to indicate that settlements, judgments, awards, or other payments obtained entirely under the wrongful death theory of liability, which do not claim and release medicals, or have the effect of releasing medicals, are not required to be reported (Section 6.5.1.4).

Updates: The updates listed below have been made to the Technical Information Chapter Version 7.7 of the NGHP User Guide. As indicated on prior Section 111 NGHP Town Hall teleconferences, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) continue to review reporting requirements and will post any applicable updates in the form of revisions to Alerts and the user guide, as necessary. For NGHP claim files, a new “04” warning flag will be applied to claim response files with open ORM records when the later date of either the CMS Date of Incident on the claim record or the Part A Add Date is greater than 135 calendar days from the Start Date of the RRE’s submission period. Additionally, compliance flag fields have been renamed warning flag (Sections 6.1 and 6.9.1 and Chapter 7). The table describing system-generated emails has been updated to include information for the RRE ID Notification email that is sent once a user completes the initial registration function and the Successful Registration PIN email that is sent once vetting is successful on the Section 111 COB Secure Website (COBSW) (Table 12-1). The description of Response File disposition code 03 has been clarified (7.1).

Updates: The updates listed below have been made to the Appendices Chapter Version 7.7 of the NGHP User Guide. As indicated on prior Section 111 NGHP Town Hall teleconferences, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) continue to review reporting requirements and will post any applicable updates in the form of revisions to Alerts and the user guide as necessary. For NGHP claim files, a new “04” warning flag will be applied to claim response files with open ORM records when the later date of either the CMS Date of Incident on the claim record or the Part A Add Date is greater than 135 calendar days from the Start Date of the RRE’s submission period. Additionally, compliance flag fields have been renamed warning flag (Appendix C and Appendix G). The description of Response File disposition code 03 has been clarified (Appendix G).

Changes for This Release: The email address for contacting an Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) Representative has changed to COBVA@bcrcgdit.com. However, COBVA emails coming from CMS now show the address as COBVA@mail.cms.hhs.gov (Customer Support).

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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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/Jul/2024

On July 22, 2024 the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released their data for the Top 10 Section 111 Non-Group Health Plan Reporting Errors January – June 2024. The chart with the list of errors and their rank can be viewed below. A downloadable PDF of this chart along with an explanation of the error codes can be viewed here at the CMS website.

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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08/Jul/2024

On July 2, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) created the Non-Group Health Plan (NGHP) Applicable Plan Appeals Reference Guide version 1.1.

To download the NGHP Applicable Plan Appeals Reference Guide Version 1.1 by clicking here.

Summary of NGHP Applicable Plan Appeals Reference Guide Version 1.1 and the Updates

Much like how the Workers’ Compensation Medicare Set-Aside Arrangement Reference Guide focuses on the submission process for Workers’ Compensation MSA’s, this appeals reference guide seems more focused on appeals by employers’ WC plans as opposed to liability matters which would be handled by the beneficiary directly or their representatives, as it only references the Commercial Repayment Center (the “CRC”) as the entity to which to submit a first level Redetermination request.  Because many of our readers inquire about Medicare lien appeals in the liability space, for liability cases, first level Redetermination requests may also be submitted via the Medicare Secondary Payer Recovery Portal (MSPRP) or the Benefits Coordination Recovery Center (“BCRC”) at P.O. Box 138832, P.O. Box 138832, Oklahoma City, OK 73113.  The four step administrative appeals process prior to being able to appeal in federal District Court is similar for WC, No Fault, and liability cases but sometimes, the contractors hired by CMS to review the various stages may sometimes be different (and often are different in different parts of the country as well).

To clarify the process necessary to appeal based on the exhaustion of benefits, the list of required documentation has been updated (Section 4.1.1).

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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08/Jul/2024

On July 2, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) updated the MMSEA Section 111 NGHP User Guide version 7.6. It has been posted to the NGHP User Guide page on CMS.gov.  The NGHP User Guide version 7.6 replaces Version 7.5 which was released on April 1, 2024.  The updated MMSEA Section 111 NGHP User Guide version 7.6 has been posted to the NGHP User Guide page on CMS.gov.

MMSEA III – July 1, 2024 – NGHP User Guide Downloads 7.6

Updates:  An expanded and specific definition has been to clarify the qualification of a cumulative injury for Section 111 NGHP reporting. (Chapter 2).

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:  Information on how to resolve TIN address errors was added (Sections 6.3.3 and 6.6.5).

Updates:  An expanded and specific definition has been to clarify the qualification of a cumulative injury for Section 111 NGHP reporting (Section 3.2).

The language used to describe the date of incident and how a cumulative injury fits within that definition from CMS’ perspective with a caution note that CMS’ definition of cumulative injury is different from the insurance industry’s definition:

From Chapter 2, page 2-2, “CMS defines the Date of Incident (DOI) as follows:

  • The date of the accident (for an automobile or other accident);
  • The date of first exposure (for claims involving exposure, including; occupational disease, or any associated cumulative injury);
  • The date of first ingestion (for claims involving ingestion);
  • The date of the implant or date of first implant, if there are multiple implants (for claims involving implant(s); or
  • The earlier of the date that treatment for any manifestation of the cumulative injury began, when such treatment preceded formal diagnosis, or the first date that formal diagnosis was made by a medical practitioner (for claims involving cumulative injury).

Note: Cumulative injury refers to those categories of injuries that may persist or grow in severity, intensity, or pain but for which a formal diagnosis may not occur until a later date. Examples of cumulative injuries include, but are not limited to, carpal tunnel syndrome, or back pain that is not the result of an acute trauma. Exposure, ingestion, and inhalation injuries are not considered cumulative injuries for purposes of calculating DOI or any other reporting requirements. This CMS definition differs from the definition of that generally used by the insurance industry under specific circumstances. For the DOI used by the insurance and workers’ compensation industry, see Field 13 of the Claim Input File Detail Record in the NGHP User Guide Appendices, Chapter V.”

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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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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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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31/Jan/2024

The January 18th, 2024 webinar hosted by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) entitled Medicare Secondary Payer and Certain Civil Money Penalties (Non-Group Health Plan) is now available in the Download section of the What’s New page on CMS.gov. The webinar can be viewed in its entirety, or you may download the materials covered in PDF format by clicking here.   

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 regarding the information presented in this webinar or any other recent CMS updates, please reach out to the Medivest representative in your area by clicking here or call us direct at 877.725.2467. 

 


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23/Jan/2024

On January 22, 2024 the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released their data for the Top 10 Section 111 Non-Group Health Plan Reporting Errors July – December 2023. The chart with the list of errors and their rank can be viewed below. A downloadable PDF of this chart along with an explanation of the error codes can be viewed here at the CMS website.

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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25/Jul/2023

On July 19, 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released their list of the Top 10 Section 111 Non-Group Health Plan Reporting Errors between January 1 – June 30, 2023. The chart with the list of errors and their rank can be viewed below. A downloadable PDF of this chart cane be found at the CMS website here.

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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