OMHA to Expand the Settlement Conference Facilitation Pilot

On October 15, 2015, the Office of Medicare Hearings and Appeals (OMHA) will be hosting an open door teleconference to discuss the expansion of its Settlement Conference Facilitation (SCF) Pilot. The pilot program was originally launched in July 2014 to provide an alternative dispute resolution process for eligible Medicare providers to settle appealed Medicare claim denials pending at the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) level of the Medicare appeals process. Under the SCF pilot program, Medicare providers had the opportunity to enter into open settlement discussions with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service (CMS) with the goal of coming to a mutually agreed upon resolution for the pending ALJ claims. Since the SCF pilot program’s inception, the program was limited to providers that met specific eligibility criteria (e.g., the ALJ hearing must have been filed in 2013). However, OMHA appears set to expand the SCF program, which will be discussed in greater detail during the open door teleconference scheduled for October 15th at 1:00pm-2:00pm EST. Any parties interested in participating in the call should fill out the registration form and submit it no later than 5:00pm on October 14, 2015.

Wachler & Associates has already participated in multiple settlement negotiations on behalf of health care providers under the SCF pilot program. We will also be attending the open door teleconference to ensure our experienced attorneys are up-to-date on all matters related to the SCF program. If you or your health care entity needs assistance in pursuing the SCF program or appealing Medicare claim denials, or if you have any questions relating to the SCF program, please contact an experienced healthcare attorney at (248) 544-0888, or via email at wapc@wachler.com.