Civil Monetary Penalty Proposed Regulations Are Here

The Medicare Secondary Payer law rendering a potential $1,000 per day penalty for noncompliance against primary payers has finally been demystified to some extent. The proposed regulation issuing guidance about Medicare Secondary Payer Civil Monetary Penalties relative to Section 111 reporting was unofficially disseminated on February 13, 2020, and the full text can be found here. The official document is scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on 2/18/2020 and available online at https://federalregister.gov/d/2020-03069.

By way of history, this rule has been in progress since 2013, pursuant to the Strengthening Medicare and Repaying Taxpayers Act (SMART Act) of 2012, which amended the Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007. The 2007 law rocked the industry by calling for mandatory penalties against NGHP primary payers of $1,000 per day per claimant for failure to properly report Section 111 data to Medicare. The SMART Act softened this, making the penalty discretionary rather than mandatory. The details of what would constitute a full penalty, diminished penalty and/or safe harbor from Civil Monetary Penalties have not been promulgated by the Agency until now. As of this date, no penalties have been assessed against NGHP primary payers. Having a rule in place could change this.

With 44 pages in all, there is a great deal of content within the proposed rule, the highlights of which are summarized below. As always, the Gordon & Rees Medicare Compliance Group will issue an Official Comment to this proposed rule. We will accept client feedback regarding this rule, through April 15, 2020, as Official Comments which must be received no later than 60 days from the date of official publication.

If more information is needed and/or you have questions about how this may impact your business please contact us at Section111 Reporting Section111Reporting@grsm.com.

Highlights:

• The regulation outlines proposed specific criteria for when CMPs would not be imposed, in circumstances when a NGHP entity fails to comply (either on its own or through a reporting agent) with Section 111 reporting guidelines.
• CMPs will be levied in addition to any MSP conditional payment reimbursement obligations.
• The rule is prospective and CMS will evaluate compliance based only upon files submitted by the RRE on or after the effective date of the final rule.
• There will be a formal appeal process for RREs if they disagree with the CMPs assessed against them.

CMS generally identified three categories of CMPs:

  • Failure to report
  • Submitting responses to recovery efforts contradicting reporting
  • Submitting records with errors that exceed CMS’s error tolerance threshold
    Statute of Limitations:
  • CMS may only impose a CMP within 5 years from the date when the non-compliance was identified by CMS. The regulation outlines specifically how this will be calculated for each of the three proposed types of CMPs.
    • If an RRE fails to report within the required timeframe (no more than 1 year from the TPOC date), the penalty would be calculated on a daily basis, based on the actual number of individual beneficiaries’ records that the entity submitted untimely.
    TPOC Reporting:
  • Penalty would be up to $1,000 (as adjusted annually for inflation based on 42 CFR part 102) for each calendar day of noncompliance for each individual, as counted from the day after the last day of the RRE’s assigned reporting window where the information should have been submitted, through the day that CMS received the information, up to a maximum penalty of $365K per individual per year.
    ORM Reporting:
  • If an RRE fails to report an ORM termination date, the penalty would be calculated based on the number of calendar days that the entity failed to report updates to the record. The penalty would be up to $1,000 (as adjusted annually for inflation) per calendar day of noncompliance for each individual, for a max annual penalty of $365K per year.
  • Please note, while most of the penalties listed are prospective, the ORM termination reporting is retroactive if not terminated properly.
    CMPs Will be Imposed for the Following Errors:
  • If the RRE exceeds any error tolerance(s) threshold in any 4 out of 8 consecutive reporting periods.
  • The initial and maximum error tolerance threshold would be 20% (representing errors that prevent 20% or more of the beneficiary records from being processed).
  • CMS intends for this tolerance to be applied as an absolute percentage of the records submitted in a given reporting cycle.
  • CMS will maintain current notification process where RREs receive notice via response file and direct outreach (email and, in more serious cases, telephone calls) when there are errors with their file submissions.
  • An RRE is out of compliance for the entire reporting period when the RRE exceeds the error tolerance threshold. (90 calendar days equals one reporting quarter)
  • CMS is proposing a maximum 20 percent per file submission error tolerance. The errors that would be used to determine whether the error tolerance is met shall be defined by CMS 6 months prior to imposition of any CMPs.
  • CMPs would be imposed on a tiered approach if the RRE exceeded the error tolerance(s) in the entity’s fourth above-tolerance submission. Penalties and calculation percentages are outlined in detail within the regulation; however, we have included the chart below directly from the regulation that summarizes the tiered penalty approach CMS is proposing. For a more detailed discussion of this, please reference the proposed regulation itself.
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No CMP will be imposed in the following circumstances where all applicable conditions are met:

  1. If you report a claim timely; and
  2. Comply with TPOC reporting thresholds and any other reporting exclusions; and
  3. Don’t exceed any error tolerances in any 4 out of 8 consecutive reporting periods; and
  4. If the RRE fails to report required information because they were unable to obtain the necessary information from the beneficiary following a good faith effort to obtain this information which is defined in the regulation as communicating the need for the information twice by mail and at least once by phone or electronic communication. The RRE should maintain these records for a period of 5 years.

Disclaimer: Please note, this article is intended to be a high-level summary of the proposed regulation and is not intended to be an exhaustive review of every detail and requirement contained within the text of the proposed regulation. We will be providing a Webinar Series to discuss the fine details, business implications and best practices surrounding Section 111 Mandatory Insurer Reporting for NGHPs.

Let us know if you want to schedule a meeting to discuss in detail how this rule impacts your business.

How does CMS interpret the three-year Statute of Limitations?

On Tuesday, January 14, 2020, the CRC had a Town Hall conference in relation to NGHP recovery. The big news coming out of today’s question and answer segment was how does the three-year statute of limitations apply to recovery efforts by the CRC and BCRC?

According to Tuesday’s Town Hall, it does not apply to CMS contractors recovering on their behalf as this recovery is considered an “administrative” task. CMS’s interpretation of the statute is that the three-year statute of limitations only applies to legal actions brought by CMS (i.e. CMS pursing double damages). Operating under this interpretation of the statute, the CRC and/or BCRC can recovery conditional payments indefinitely.

This is drastically different from the previous stance, as arguments based upon statute of limitations was historically accepted by CMS. Under this interpretation, the CRC or BCRC could potentially attempt to collect on claims that have been closed for more than three (3) years. From a practice standpoint, this could be especially frustrating as Claimants no longer have an incentive to cooperate in the process.

The other aspects of Tuesday’s call revolved around Pre-CPN worksheets and Open Debt reports. While this information is highly beneficial to Responsible Reporting Entities (RREs) the access to these reports is still only available to an RRE’s MSPRP Account Manager. Therefore, one must be the RRE on file in order to access this specific information. To date, this information is not even available to the RRE’s assigned Recovery Agent. Thus, in order for an RRE to obtain this information, you will need to have an account on the MSPRP.

It appears while bringing the portal up to the technologic times, CMS is still restricting access to much of the beneficial information the portal offers and is requiring strict standards in accessing this data.

Another point of interest is what CMS didn’t say about penalties regarding Section 111 reporting. Although it has continually been hinted at being implemented, CMS did not discuss this topic at the Town Hall Meeting. This, however, does not mean that they may not make an announcement in the near future about this issue.

The slides and transcript from Tuesday’s Town Hall should be posted on the CMS website within a few weeks for those that would like to see the entirety of the presentation.

WCMSA REFERENCE GUIDE 3.0 EMPHASIZES ADMINISTRATION

Several changes regarding administration details have been made in Version 3.0. The biggest changes include new Consent Form language for WCMSA submissions requiring the Beneficiary acknowledge his or her understanding of administration, references to Medicare Part D coverage guidelines for Frequently Abused Drugs, and a link for professional administrators to upload account transactions and view account details. Also, among these significant changes are the extension of Amended Review timeframes and hospital fee clarifications.

It must be the end of October, as the Medicare Secondary Payer industry is seeing new program changes, with plenty more in sight. Today the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services disseminated the updated Workers’ Compensation Medicare Set-Aside (WCMSA) Reference Guide version 3.0, dated October 10, 2019. The 3.0 Reference Guide is geared toward greater emphasis on Medicare Set-Aside administration, from several different fronts. Proper administration of CMS-approved Medicare Set-Asides ensures the preservation of post-account exhaustion Medicare entitlements. So is this emphasis on administration a warning signal of Medicare benefit jeopardization and/or increased vigilance in monitoring accounts on Medicare’s part?

CONSENT FORMS

In Section 10.2, Consent to Release Note, Version 3.0 adds the following language:

“As of April 1, 2020, all consent-to-release notes must include language indicating that the beneficiary reviewed the submission package and understands the WCMSA intent, submission process, and associated administration. This section of the consent form must include at least the beneficiary’s initials to indicate their validation.”

It has been independently confirmed by CMS that current Consent Forms do not require this content prior to April 1, 2020. Figure 10-2: Example Consent to Release with Instructions, illustrates the location of the initial line and provides the necessary language to pass muster with CMS. Such language brings to mind the Medicare Learning Network literature of the last several years, which directed medical providers, suppliers and facilities to direct bill Beneficiaries with Medicare Set-Aside accounts, so that Medicare would not be billed when a case reached settlement, judgment, award or other payment. Including this new language in the Consent Form documents the Beneficiary’s awareness of, and agreement with, a Medicare Set-Aside and its content, as well as the intent, process and administration of an MSA, all prior to submission. While Beneficiaries and their attorneys have always had access to the contents of a submitted Medicare Set-Aside and supporting documentation, this adds a new layer of accountability for the Beneficiary in the Medicare Set-Aside process.

FREQUENTLY ABUSED DRUGS

Version 3.0 includes a new provision in Section 17.1 Administrators, which explains account administration. New language states, “CMS highly recommends professional administration where a claimant is taking controlled substances that CMS determines are ‘frequently abused drugs’ according to CMS’ Part D Drug Utilization Review (DUR) policy. That policy and supporting information are available on the web at:
https://cms.gov/Medicare/Prescription-Drug-Coverage/PrescriptionDrugCovContra/RxUtilization.html

Further, Section 17.3 Use of the Account, also includes new language reinforcing the latter provision: “CMS expects that WCMSA funds be competently administered in accordance with all Medicare coverage guidelines, including but not limited to CMS’ Part D Drug Utilization Review (DUR) policy. As a result, all WCMSA administration programs should institute Drug Management Programs (DMPs) (as described at: https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2018-04-16/pdf/2018-07179.pdf) for claimants at risk for abuse or misuse of ‘frequently abused drugs’.”

This aspect of the Reference Guide reflects Medicare’s new prescription drug policy that had started January 1, 2019 in which Part D plan sponsors could adopt drug management programs concerning beneficiary use of frequently abused drugs in an effort to combat opioid overuse as per the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA).

ADMINISTRATION LINKS

In Version 2.9, Beneficiaries could review all documents submitted to CMS via http://www.mymedicare.gov. A physical address for also existed for beneficiaries or their representatives to mail exhaustion documentation. Version 3.0 maintains this option in item 17.7, but adds to Section 17.6 Electronic Attestation, options for electronic submissions of annual and final attestations, usable for either self-administered or professionally administered accounts respectively:

For more information about how to submit an attestation electronically, please see the WCMSAP User Guide, at https://www.cob.cms.hhs.gov/WCMSA/assets/wcmsa/userManual/WCMSAUserManual.pdf.

For more information on Professional Administrator accounts, please see the WCMSAP User Guide, at https://www.cob.cms.hhs.gov/WCMSA/assets/wcmsa/userManual/WCMSAUserManual.pdf.

The new links come on the heels of other CMS efforts concerning MSA account administration. On October 17, 2019, disseminated CMS updated its Self-Administration Toolkit for WCMSAs to Version 1.3, dated October 10, 2019, the same date as Version 3.0 of the WCMSA Reference Guide. The Toolkit Version 1.3 can be found here: https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Coordination-of-Benefits-and-Recovery/Workers-Compensation-Medicare-Set-Aside-Arrangements/Downloads/Self-Administration-Toolkit-for-WCMSAs-Version-1_3.pdf

Additionally, Medicare disseminated information about two new webinars focused on WCMSA Electronic Attestation Enhancements. The first was to be held today for Medicare Beneficiaries and their representatives. https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Coordination-of-Benefits-and-Recovery/Workers-Compensation-Medicare-Set-Aside-Arrangements/Downloads/WCMSA-Electronic-Attestation-Enhancement-Webinar-October-30-2019.pdf

The second is to be held November 6, 2019 and is for professional administrators. https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Coordination-of-Benefits-and-Recovery/Workers-Compensation-Medicare-Set-Aside-Arrangements/Downloads/WCMSA-Electronic-Attestation-Enhancement-for-Professional-Administrators-Webinar-November-6-2019.pdf

AMENDED REVIEW TIMEFRAME EXTENDED

In its own new Section 16.2 Amended Review, Medicare pushes the timeframe in which an Amended Review will be considered from 12-48 months from the date of the original approval letter to 12-72 months from the original approval. This is a welcome expansion to the workload threshold as many cases more than four years past the original approval date have still not settled. Additional language in Section 16.2 fleshes out details surrounding some of the parameters for Amended Review. With regard to a change in treatment, the new version states that changes in treatment plans won’t be considered without supporting medical documentation. Also, Version 3.0 offers a link for details on electronic submission:

See the WCMSAP User Guide at: https://www.cob.cms.hhs.gov/WCMSA/assets/wcmsa/userManual/WCMSAUserManual. Pdf

HOSPITAL FEE SCHEDULES

The new Reference Guide offers much-needed specificity to the sources of hospital pricing for surgical procedures. In the previous version, Reference Guide 2.9 stated within Section 9.4.3 WCRC Review Considerations, “Currently the WCRC prices WCMSAs according to the correct region for the state of venue. Hospital fee schedules are currently determined using the Diagnosis-Related Groups (DRG) payment for a Major Medical Center within the state, and this fee is applied to all locations within the state.” Changes to this Section in the 3.0 version are that the hospital fee schedules are determined using DRG payments for the “median” Major Medical Center within the “appropriate fee jurisdiction for the ZIP code, unless otherwise identified by state law.” (Emphasis added).

ADDITIONAL CHANGES:

• Section 2.2 Reporting a WC Case now includes an address change to:

Medicare – Medicare Secondary Payer
Medicare Secondary Payer Claims Investigation Project
P.O. Box 138897
Oklahoma City, OK 73113-8897

• Section 17.5 Annual Attestation and Record-Keeping has clarified the following address for submitting yearly attestation material:

NGHP
P.O. Box 138832
Oklahoma City, OK 73113

• Section 10.3 Rated Age Information and Life Expectancy has been updated to reflect the most recent life table link:

“CMS will project the cost of the claimant’s future treatment over the claimant’s life expectancy, using the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Tables. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr68/nvsr68_04-508.pdf

NOT IN THE REFERENCE GUIDE, BUT ON THE HORIZON

• Rulemakings! Civil Monetary Penalties for Section 111 Medicare Mandatory Insurer Reporting have not yet been issued. According to the OIRA office, rulemaking should be issued in October of 2019. Similarly situated is possible rulemaking for Liability and No-Fault Medicare Set-Asides, also slated for this month. Both of these items have been collecting dust for years and were scheduled for action in September, which gave way to October. Will what little remaining of October bring the proposed regulations? Or will these rulemakings be pushed into November or beyond?

• Speaking of November, we are only a few weeks away from the annual announcement of the low dollar recovery threshold. Will this amount increase for 2020?

Future updates regarding Medicare Secondary Payer laws will be monitored by the Gordon & Rees Medicare Compliance Team. Please stay tuned for more information as it becomes available!

Section 111 Mandatory Insurer Civil Monetary Penalties: CMS Announces an Update to the Issue Date for Proposed Rulemaking

CMS has recently announced that it has pushed back the proposed rulemaking and public comment solicitation period for assessment of civil monetary penalties for noncompliance with the Section 111 Mandatory Insurer Reporting guidelines to October 2019.

The Medicare Secondary Payer Act (MSPA) provides for civil monetary penalties to be assessed for noncompliance with the Section 111 Mandatory Insurer Reporting requirements. Specifically, 42 USC 1395y(b)(8) provides that a civil monetary penalty (CMP) of $1,000 per day per claim shall be assessed for noncompliance. Subsequently, the SMART Act clarified this provision to indicate that any such penalty shall be discretionary, and penalties of up to $1,000 per day per claim may be assessed for noncompliance. However, prior to assessing any CMPs to a Responsible Reporting Entity, we will first need regulations in place outlining exactly what constitutes noncompliance as well as the criteria for which penalties will and will not be assessed.

CMS has announced its intent to issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in order to propose the criteria for which CMPs will and will not be assessed. The full announcement can be found here. Clarification regarding Section 111 CMPs is something that this industry has been awaiting for quite some time. This announcement extends the original timeline published by CMS on this topic. Earlier this year, a similar announcement indicated that this rulemaking and comment period would open in September 2019. That timeline has now been pushed back one month.

While the date listed for the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking is now October 2019, and it will no doubt take some time before any recovery audits are started and any CMPs are assessed, this notice makes it clear that Section 111 reporting penalties are in the pipeline. With that said, ensuring that your claim data is compliant with the Section 111 requirements can also take a considerable amount of time. We at Gordon & Rees have extensive experience in running Section 111 reporting programs for all types of carriers and self-insured entities, as well as performing full internal audits of Responsible Reporting Entities’ claim data to ensure full compliance with the Section 111 reporting guidelines.

Please keep an eye out in the coming weeks for a comprehensive webinar by the Gordon & Rees Section 111 Reporting team discussing how to get compliant with the Section 111 Mandatory Insurer Reporting requirements, how to perform an internal audit, and the most up-to-date information regarding the coming civil monetary penalties.

Gordon & Rees will continue to monitor all activity regarding Section 111 CMPs as it develops. For any questions or concerns regarding Section 111 reporting penalties or Medicare Secondary Payer compliance in general, please contact us at CMSReporting@grsm.com.

ELECTRONIC PAYMENTS VIA MSPRP NOW LIVE

Effective April 1, the Medicare Secondary Payer Recovery Portal (MSPRP) is equipped to accept electronic payments for Medicare conditional payment reimbursements. Answers to common inquiries were subsequently released by CMS on April 12, 2019 called “Electronic Payments on the Medicare Secondary Payer Recovery Portal (MSPRP) and Commercial Repayment Center Portal (CRCP) Frequently Asked Questions and Answers.” Such functionality was originally referenced in the Strengthening Medicare and Repaying Taxpayers (SMART) Act of 2012.

In the alert, CMS specifically indicated that to make an electronic payment through the MSPRP, one does not need a new or updated user access. The option is available to any user on any matter to which the user already has access.

Payments are not required to be made through the MSPRP. Payers may continue to remit a paper check to satisfy Medicare conditional payment demands. However, any refund issued by the Medicare recovery contractor will still be made via paper check and will not be made electronically, to date.

Interestingly, CMS specifically reports that in order to make an electronic payment through the MSPRP, the matter to which you wish to apply payment must be in “demand” status. There is no option to remit payment electronically unless the amount has been demanded. Therefore, if payment is desired to be made on a Conditional Payment Notice instead of a Demand for Reimbursement, a written check still must be mailed to the CRC/BCRC for application to the claim. Furthermore, CMS clarifies that when paying online, this does not mean that the full demand amount must be paid. If a Redetermination Request has been submitted on a portion of the conditional payments being asserted, a user can still submit a partial electronic payment.

Finally, CMS reported that the electronic payments utilize Pay.gov to secure the transaction, where payments can be made utilizing a savings/check account, debit card, or PayPal linked to a bank account. Credit cards, however, are not being accepted for payment at present. Also, the limit for each payment method is posted, as well. Once payment has been made. a confirmation of payment will be posted to the MSPRP on the Payment Status page. Additionally, an Electronic Payment History status will list the status of all electronic payments, as well as the amount and payment date.

In summary, the new electronic payment system appears to streamline the payment process significantly, with much quicker application times and updates to the portal. However, as indicated above, it is still requiring that non-demand claims must be paid via paper check. This can be frustrating for those that are attempting to make payments before the demand and can potentially complicate settlements.

We at Gordon and Rees will continue to monitor these issues and will continue to report any updates.

New Part D Safety Policy Intends to Reduce Opioid Misuse

CMS recently announced its new Medicare Part D opioid safety policy, intended to reduce prescription opioid misuse. One aspect of the new policy is improved safety alerts at the pharmacy for Part D beneficiaries who are filling initial opioid prescriptions or receiving high doses. CMS cited the following three situations that would warrant an alert:

CMS recently announced its new Medicare Part D opioid safety policy, intended to reduce prescription opioid misuse. One aspect of the new policy is improved safety alerts at the pharmacy for Part D beneficiaries who are filling initial opioid prescriptions or receiving high doses. CMS cited the following three situations that would warrant an alert:

• Possible unsafe amounts of opioids.
• First prescription fills for opioids.
• Use of opioids and benzodiazepines at the same time.

CMS reports that if an alert is sent and if the prescription can’t be filled as written, including the full amount on the prescription, the pharmacist will give the beneficiary a notice explaining how they or their doctor can contact the plan to ask for a coverage determination.

The new policy also permits Part D plans to put drug management programs in place to help beneficiaries. One of the proposed ways that a Part D plan would accomplish this is given through the example that if a beneficiary gets opioids from multiple doctors or pharmacies, the beneficiary may be directed to receive such medications from specific providers or pharmacies to avoid overlap. However, the most notable part of this new plan is that the Part D plan will send the beneficiary a letter if it will limit their access to these medications under its drug management program. If so, the beneficiary and their doctor will have the right to appeal.

CMS acknowledges that “one size does not fit all” and that such policies do not apply to specific populations (i.e. long-term care facilities, individuals in hospice, palliative, or end-of-life care). To that end, additional material was provided for prescribers, pharmacists, and patients to clarify CMS’s interpretation of these policies.

Practitioner’s Note: While these policies are admirable in their attempt to curb the opioid issues within our country, it does beg the question as to what impact this will have in a clinical setting. With the example of the seven (7) day fill rule for new opioid users, in a majority of workers’ compensation and/or liability cases the beneficiary isn’t a beneficiary at the time of injury and the initial prescription of pain medication. As such, this policy would not apply to those individuals. Additionally, upon review of the additional materials for the providers and pharmacists, CMS specifically notes in bold “This alert is not a prescribing limit” and explains that decisions to taper or discontinue prescription opioids are individualized between patient and prescriber. How this policy may apply to the current Workers’ Compensation Medicare Set-Aside Reference Guide allocation methodology has yet to be determined.

The Gordon & Rees Medicare Compliance team will continue to follow these trends and update you as new developments arise.

Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani Becomes First 50-State Law Firm

With 68th office opening, Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani expands reach, services to every state.

Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani (GRSM) has opened its 68th office, creating the world’s first 50-state law firm.

Name partner Miles Scully heralded the move as a game-changing moment in the legal services industry. “As the first and only law firm to feature offices in all fifty states, we are poised to meet our clients’ needs whenever or wherever they may arise. Our deep bench of talented lawyers coupled with our forward-thinking use of technology enables us to lead the industry in providing efficient and cost effective representation virtually anywhere in the country.”

Managing partner Dion Cominos added, “With an already established national platform, the firm was well-positioned to take the next step of providing full territorial coverage throughout the United States. This milestone represents both the culmination of our journey toward becoming a truly national firm, and the next chapter in a new era of delivering seamless and comprehensive legal services to clients on a nationwide basis.”

Since its founding 45 years ago in San Francisco, GRSM has strategically expanded across the nation, opening offices in markets critical to its clients. And as the firm’s clients have continued to consolidate, grow in size, and span additional industries, GRSM has grown to match and service their needs – initially on the west coast, and eventually throughout the country. The full list of GRSM’s offices and local contacts can be found here.

The firm’s strong growth was recognized by The American Lawyer in 2018, which named GRSM number 103 in top grossing law firms, moving up seven spots from the previous year. Law360 recognized the firm as the 40th largest in the United States in its annual rankings by domestic attorney headcount. The firm was also recognized among the top 45 for diversity on The American Lawyer Diversity Scorecard.

GRSM is a national litigation and business transactions firm with more than 900 lawyers providing full service representation to public and private companies ranging from the Fortune 500 to start-ups. Founded in 1974, GRSM is recognized among the fastest growing and largest law firms in the country.

Highlights of Resulting Media Coverage:
Bloomberg Law, April 15, 2019
Law360, April 15, 2019 (subscription may be required)

Contacts
Dion N. Cominos
Miles D. Scully

More Webs in Alabama: District Court Quotes Scott, Dismisses MSPA Claim

A recent determination against Infinity Property and Casualty Group emerging from a federal district court in Alabama demonstrates that while so many MSPA private cause of action claims pose similar legal shortcomings, the courts have no shortage of colorful ways to dismiss them.

Quoting the famous words of Sir Walter Scott, the Opinion opens with “Oh! what a tangled web we weave / When first we practice to deceive!” Dismissing with prejudice MSPA Claims I, LLC’s latest efforts, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, Southern Division determined on March 19 that subject matter jurisdiction did not exist, thwarting its attempt to “catch a lucrative class action lawsuit under the Medicare Secondary Payer statue.” MSPA v Infinity Prop & Casualty Group, 2019 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 43620 (2019).

In this case, two separate automobile accidents occurred in which Infinity was the insurance carrier. Medicare beneficiary D.W was enrolled in Part C through Florida Healthcare Plus, Inc. and Medicare beneficiary B.G. was enrolled in Part C through Simply Healthcare Plans, Inc., both of which Plaintiff alleged assigned to it rights under the Medicare Secondary Payer laws to recover medical payments Infinity failed to reimburse.

With regard to D.W., Infinity disputed MSPA’s allegations on the grounds that Infinity had no obligation to pay the FHCP bill of $140.47 as it properly paid all of D.W.’s medical bills with additional medical coverage still available. FHCP assigned its recovery rights to La Ley Recovery Systems in 2014. According to the agreement. La Ley could not assign those rights to a third party without the approval of FHCP’s (or the Florida Department of Financial Services later through receivership).

La Ley attempted to reassign these rights to MSPA in 2015 without approval. While approval was later granted at the time of settlement on June 1, 2016, the court decided the assignments were valid but that FHCP never had standing to bring a claim under the MSP in the first place and FHCP never suffered an injury in fact.

With regard to B.G., the medical coverage with Infinity exhausted. InterAmerican Medical Center Group, LLC served as Simply’s Management Service Organization (MSO). In a tapestry of alleged assignments, Plaintiff claimed Simply contractually assigned recovery rights to InterAmerican, which were in turn assigned to MSP Recovery, LLC, and as “the final strand in its web…” MSP Recovery assigned those rights to Plaintiff.

The Court dismissed the allegations on the grounds that the statute affords recovery rights to MOAs but there is no clear indication that MSOs have these statutory rights.

The Court pointed out “fatal” defects in Plaintiff’s web of assignments, ultimately granting Defendant’s motion for summary judgment due to lack of standing.

Elsewhere on the very same day, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals was busy exterminating another MSPA private cause of action claim. Somehow on the same page with the Alabama court in both legal and literary senses, the 11th Circuit Court wove the web theme into its dismissal. See MSP Recovery Gets Caught in the Tangled Web of the Medicare Secondary Payer Act.

Given the growing body of dismissals, it should be interesting to see how future courts rule on such actions going forward. To discuss this case or other Medicare Secondary Payer matters, please contact Gordon & Rees Medicare Compliance Group.

MSP Recovery Gets Caught in the Tangled Web of the Medicare Secondary Payer Act

In the recent case of MSPA Claims 1, LLC v. Tenet Fla., Inc. the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the holding of the district court, dismissing a case for recovery of payments under the private cause of action of the Medicare Secondary Payer Act (MSP Act). While aspects of the MSP Act can be very convoluted and confusing, especially with regard to the private cause of action for recovery of primary payments, the court here begins its opinion by stating “Luckily, we do not need to venture very far into its tangled web here. The provision at issue in this case is clear, and clearly bars plaintiff’s claim.” See MSPA Claims 1, LLC v. Tenet Fla., Inc. 2019 U.S. App. LEXIS 7833.

The court here spends little time examining the makeup and history of the MSP Act; however, reminds us that while the Act has created a private cause of action that permits the government to sue when it is not properly reimbursed by a primary payer, it also provides for a private cause of action for private plaintiffs to recover double damages. The intent of this private cause of action is to encourage private parties to enforce Medicare’s right of recovery against primary payers in the courts. See generally MSPA Claims 1, LLC v. Tenet Fla., Inc. 2019 U.S. App. LEXIS 7833. Various courts have held this private cause of action to extend to Medicare Advantage Organizations (MAOs).

While a detailed rehashing of the facts of this case is not important to understanding the outcome, a brief background will help outline the issue here. In short, one of Florida Healthcare Plus’s (an MAO) enrollees was involved in a car accident and received medical care at St. Mary’s Medical Center. St. Mary’s billed both the enrollee’s primary plan- Allstate, as well as FHCP. FHCP assigned its right of recovery to the Plaintiff in this case MSPA Claims 1, LLC, through a series of assignments. St. Mary’s later reimbursed FHCP in full- $286. However, MSPA Claims brought suit against ST. Mary’s and its parent company Tenet Florida, Inc. for the delayed $286 reimbursement.

The court here determined that FHCP did suffer an injury-in-fact and that MSPA Claims has standing to bring the case and therefore the case was properly in court; however, in order to survive dismissal, the claim must still be plausible. The court reiterates that the MSP Act’s private cause of action is only available in the case in which a primary plan fails to reimburse Medicare, or in this case an MAO. Here, MSPA Claims has sued a medical service provider and not a primary plan. The court reasoned that given the fact that MSPA Claims has not sued a primary plan, its claim is not plausible on its face, and therefore the dismissal based on failure to state a claim issued by the lower court is affirmed.

This dismissal provides another instance of MSP Recovery, LLC getting caught in the tangled web that is the Medicare Secondary Payer Act. The amount in controversy here hints that the purpose of bringing this case was to attempt to gain a favorable decision and to begin to carve a path through the case law to further recovery by MAOs under this provision of the MSP Act. While the private cause of action at issue here is a dangerous one given the double damages provision, this case makes it clear that there is still work to be done in order to weave through this tangled web.

United States Sues Plaintiff Attorney, Medicare Beneficiary, and the Insurer for Conditional Payments in the Middle District of Pennsylvania

On February 26, 2019, the Middle District of Pennsylvania addressed a summary judgment motion brought by the United States against parties to a liability claim that involved a Medicare beneficiary and outstanding conditional payment liens.


The relevant background of the case is that a Medicare beneficiary (Beneficiary) was mistakenly given a medication from a pharmacy which resulted in a sixty-six day hospital stay. During this stay, the Beneficiary incurred nearly $100,000 in treatment bills. As the Beneficiary’s insurer, Medicare paid these bills, of which $84,353 was found to be related to the administration of the mistaken medication. The Beneficiary then filed a lawsuit against the pharmacy and medical care center, represented by Richard Angino of Angino Law Firm (“the Angino Defendants”). During settlement of the claim, the Angino Defendants requested the amount of charges that were paid by Medicare for the associated injury. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reported back that $1,212 was paid. This was the amount that was ultimately relied upon at settlement.
As is the procedure, upon notification of settlement, CMS issued a demand of $84,353.00, but reduced it to $53,295.00, accounting for attorney’s fees. CMS also notified the Angino Defendants and the Beneficiary this amount was due in sixty (60) days. This amount was never paid.


CMS then filed a lawsuit under the Medicare Secondary Payer Act, 42 U.S.C § 1395(b)(2)(B) that as a matter of law it was entitled to $84,35.00 plus interest. A motion for summary judgement was filed by the defense. During this time, the Beneficiary passed away and in a separate action, the Beneficiary’s estate challenged the $84,353.00 and asserted that CMS was only due the $53,295.00. However, the lower court found that it did not have jurisdiction. Thus, the Plaintiff argued that Defendants lost their challenge and therefore owe the full $84,353.00. Defendants rebutted this argument on the grounds that although they cannot appeal the lower amount, they can challenge the $84,353.00. Additionally, Defendants claim questions of fact exist as to who would be responsible for payment of any potential excess owed.


Of note, the Defendants set aside the $53,295.000 and attempted to settle the conditional payments. However, CMS pursued litigation and increased the amount owed. As such, the Court agreed that a question of fact existed as to whether or not the Plaintiff had to pursue litigation to collect the amount due and justify raising the amount due. Plaintiff countered that the law provides that where Medicare “must file suit” to recover on the lien, they need not deduct attorney’s fees from the lien amount. 42 C.F.R. § 411.37(e). The Court responded that “at least with the facts which we are presented with, that whether or not the plaintiff had to pursue litigation is a question of fact.” (United States v. Angino, 2019 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 30499 (February 26, 2019).


As such, the Court found genuine issues of material fact and the summary judgement motion denied.


Practioner’s Note: This case is a reminder of the trouble parties can get into when not properly addressing the conditional payment liens associated with a liability claim. Remembering Shapiro v. Secretary of Department of Health & Human Services, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 42278 (March 23, 2017), the 2017 case mirrors the fact pattern at hand, in that the Beneficiary cannot rely upon the interim lien amount and Medicare is entitled to the final conditional payment amount issue after settlement of a claim.

Interestingly, this case has yet to determine who ultimately will be responsible for any excess payments over the $53,295.00. Also worth note, the Beneficiary’s estate, the Beneficiary’s attorney, and the Carrier were all parties to this action. This particular question could potentially have been avoided if only proper settlement language would have been included clarifying which party would be responsible for any overage. This is yet another prompt that settlement language continues to be an important piece to the settlement puzzle.


The Gordon & Rees Medicare Compliance Group will continue to monitor this case and bring you updates as they become available. Please contact me at (412) 588-2283 or rmaldonado@grsm.com should you wish to discuss this or any other Medicare Secondary Payer matters.