AAB Proficiency Testing

The following is from CMS

Announcement of the Implementation of the Revised ABN
March 3, 2008

On Monday, March 3, 2008, CMS will implement use of the revised Advance Beneficiary Notice of Noncoverage (ABN) (CMS-R-131). This form replaces the General Use ABN (CMS-R-131-G), and the Lab ABN (CMS-R-131-L) for physician-ordered laboratory tests. The form and notice instructions will be posted on the Beneficiary Notice Initiative web page (www.cms.hhs.gov\bni). We will post updated manual instructions and the Spanish version of the form on the BNI web page in the near future.
 

Some key features of the new form are that it:

• Has a new official title, the “Advance Beneficiary Notice of Noncoverage (ABN)”, in order to more clearly convey the purpose of the notice;

• Replaces both the existing ABN-G and ABN-L;

• May also be used for voluntary notifications, in place of the Notice of Exclusion from Medicare Benefits (NEMB);

• Has a mandatory field for cost estimates of the items/services at issue; and

• Includes a new beneficiary option, under which an individual may choose to receive an item/service, and pay for it out-of-pocket, rather than have a claim submitted to Medicare.

CMS will allow a 6-month transition period from the date of implementation for use of
the revised form and instructions. Thus, all providers and suppliers must begin using the
new ABN (CMS-R-131) no later than September 1, 2008. Questions about the new ABN
may be sent to RevisedABN_ODF@cms.hhs.gov.

• Medicare Claims Processing Manual, Chapter 30 - Financial Liability Protections

• Revised ABN Frequently Asked Questions

• Advance Beneficiary Notice of Noncoverage (ABN) - Form CMS-R-131 (03/08)

• Form Insturctions

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