The Department of Health and Human Services through June 30 has reduced by more than 79% its backlog of Medicare appeals at the Administrative Law Judge level, according to a status report the agency provided Tuesday to a federal court.

“By the end of the third quarter of 2021, a total of 86,063 appeals remain pending at OMHA [Office of Medicare Hearings and Appeals], which is a reduction of over 79% from the starting number of appeals identified in the Court’s order (426,594 appeals),” HHS told the court.

The reduction puts the agency ahead of schedule for reducing the backlog in response to a 2018 federal court ruling in favor of the AHA and its member hospital plaintiffs, which established annual deadline-based targets for reducing the backlog of Medicare appeals at the ALJ level. HHS also reported that additional appeals received at OMHA this quarter totaled 8,083, compared to 8,172 last quarter, with only 288 Recovery Audit Contractor-related receipts compared with 400 last quarter.  

Related News Articles

Headline
The AHA Oct. 23 recommended changes to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Wasteful and Inappropriate Services Reduction model to address…
Headline
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has released an operational guide for Medicare-enrolled providers and suppliers on the Wasteful and…
Headline
A report by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General found that many Medicare Advantage and Medicaid managed care plans…
Headline
Medicare open enrollment for 2026 began Oct. 15 and runs through Dec. 7. During the annual enrollment period, Medicare-eligible individuals can check their…
Headline
The AHA Oct. 3 responded to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission’s recent analysis on the financial impacts of Medicare Advantage enrollment growth on…
Headline
The federal government shutdown will continue as the Senate Oct. 3 failed to adopt a government funding deal. The latest attempt to pass the House-passed…