Agencies should consider an alternative dispute resolution process offered by the Office of Medicare Hearings and Appeals (OMHA) to get through the backlog of appeals.
 
The Office of Medicare Hearings and Appeals (OMHA) Settlement Conference Facilitation (SCF) 2020 Expansion is accessible to the appellant community.
 
According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, the SCF is an alternative dispute resolution process designed to bring the appellant and CMS together to discuss the potential of a mutually agreeable resolution for Medicare Part A and Part B claims appealed to the OMHA level or the Departmental Appeals Board's Medicare Appeals Council (Council) level of the Medicare claims appeals process.
 
Specifically, this expansion increases the number of appeals allowable for SCF. Requests for Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) hearings or Council review that have been filed by the appellant on March 31, 2020, or before then, could be eligible for SCF.
 
Appeals now include all Medicare Part A and Part B providers and suppliers. Home health and hospice fall into these categories.
 
Related link: For more information about Settlement Conference Facilitation, visit: https://bit.ly/3jNq3YB.