Synergy’s blog brings you the industry’s foremost thought leadership InSights on matters of healthcare lien resolution and Medicare Secondary Payer Compliance. Visit often to discover helpful InSights on important lien resolution compliance issues.
March 25, 2020 B. Josh Pettingill We are oftentimes asked about injured workers who have a Medicare Advantage Plan (MAP) and if they still need to use their Workers’ Compensation Medicare Set-Aside (WCMSA) funds if the MAP will cover all their medical care. This brief post will explain Medicare’s position on this issue and then […]
March 24, 2020 Now, more than ever, proper settlement planning is critical for disabled clients. Protecting their recovery should be top of mind and a high priority given the turbulence in our global markets. There are always going to be ups and downs in the financial markets. The real estate market has crashed. The tech […]
March 2, 2020 The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals weighed in on the question of whether the Medicare statute, which provides a three-year timeline to the government to request repayment, applies to a private entity providing Medicare benefits (Medicare Advantage plans). The Court’s answer is that the claims filing provision does not bar a claim […]
February 13, 2020 An inquiry that Synergy receives on a regular basis involves a Medicare-eligible claimant who has both a workers’ compensation and a third-party liability companion case. The third-party liability claim has resolved and now the workers’ comp carrier has a lien against the liability claim for the amount that has been paid out […]
February 13, 2020 By: Michael Walrath Some of the most frustrating and murky issues facing attorneys representing injured clients stem from alleged direct provider “liens” against settlement proceeds. The positions of various state bar associations on these issues, and the limited law delineating them, have historically been ever-shifting and evolving. Ethical Obligation to Protect Liens […]
January 17, 2020 By Jason D. Lazarus, J.D., LL.M., MSCC, CSSC Failure to Pay Equals Personal Liability The government takes its reimbursement rights seriously and is willing to pursue trial lawyers who ignore Medicare’s interest. On March 18, 2019, the United States Attorney for the District of Maryland announced that a Maryland personal injury law […]
January 17, 2020 In Publix Super Markets, Inc. v. Figareau et. al., Case No. 8:19-cv-545, 2019 WL 6311160 (M.D. Fla. Nov. 25, 2019), the Court permitted an ERISA self-funded health plan’s equitable lien claim to attach to the plaintiff attorney. This case is further evidence that using Synergy Settlement’s Lien Resolution service can be essential to […]
January 8, 2020 By: Jason D. Lazarus, J.D., LL.M., MSCC The Department of Justice (DOJ) is serious about and intent on enforcement of the Medicare Secondary Payer Act when it comes to conditional payments. There are now numerous examples of these actions being taken by the DOJ. In this instance, the case against a Philadelphia-based […]
Reduce Taxes and Save for Retirement with Attorney Fee Deferrals A few months ago, a trial attorney in New York City had just settled a big case. He was like a lot of people reading this article; well-respected, successful, hardworking. But while he was excited about the result, he was frustrated with the massive amount […]