B. Josh Pettingill
For over a decade, there has been episodic activity from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on Liability Medicare Set-Asides (LMSAs), including but not limited to, policy memorandums, Medicare Learning Network announcements, a notice of proposed rulemaking with subsequent withdrawal, an advanced notice of a notice of proposed rulemaking as well as the hiring of a new review contactor. As of the date of this update, we are still without formal policies for how to properly consider Medicare’s future interests in liability claims. But is it time for trial attorneys to start worrying? This brief post will provide some suggestions to be well-prepared for formal guidelines on LMSAs.
Key Takeaways
- Medicare Secondary Payor (MSP) compliance is serious business and should not be ignored.
- Plaintiff attorneys must establish an internal screening process for their liability cases involving Medicare beneficiaries.
- Plaintiff attorneys must be vigilant about MSP compliance from the start of the case.
- MSP compliance starts at the intake of the case.
If your firm does not have an internal process for auditing Medicare-eligible plaintiffs when you undertake representation, then you probably should be worried. If you are on the sidelines waiting around for formal guidelines to be implemented before you start being proactive on the issue, you are doing a disservice to yourself and your clients, as well as putting yourself at risk of being made an example by CMS for non-compliance with the MSP statute. This is so because the Department of Justice has already sued two different personal injury firms over non-compliance with the MSP related to conditional payments (see previous post HERE). You could also be setting yourself up for a legal malpractice claim for failure to educate your clients on the need to properly consider Medicare’s future interests. The good news is that it is not too late; the below can help get you started on establishing a framework within your firm for handling cases with Medicare-eligible plaintiffs.
- Identify Medicare beneficiaries as soon as possible so you can stay ahead of the MSP compliance issues.
- Follow CMS guidelines for reporting and resolving conditional payments.
- Investigate whether the client has ever received benefits under a Medicare Advantage plan (MAO – Part C). If yes, make sure to resolve the lien as it can be “hidden” (see previous post HERE)
- Audit your files at the beginning of the intake process and group the cases into categories based on the injuries, potential future care, available coverage, and potential settlement value to determine which files might be candidates for formal MSA screening.
- Identify all forms of health insurance coverage and disability benefits upon intake of the case so you know what liens have to be resolved as well as whether Medicare’s future interests need to be considered.
- Determine at the onset if future medicals are claimed which will be a key determinant in whether a Medicare Set-Aside should be considered.
- Update your retainer agreement language to allow you to engage your own Medicare experts as a case cost to the client.
From what we have observed firsthand, Medicare is not regularly denying claims on the basis that injury-related care should be paid for out of an MSA account (read more HERE); however, as recently as last month, CMS indicated that change is imminent as it relates to liability claims[1]. Whether or not CMS ever provides formal guidelines on liability MSAs, trial lawyers must establish their own processes for screening and auditing liability case files. For more information about liability MSAs visit us at https://partnerwithsynergy.com/total-medicare-compliance/.
[1] This was mentioned at the National Alliance of MSA Professionals (NAMSAP) annual conference in Baltimore, Maryland.
