A final rule requiring healthcare providers to return Medicare overpayments within 60 days has gone to the White House Office of Management and Budget for review.
Under the rule, which the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said is required by the Affordable Care Act, Medicare Part A and B providers and suppliers would have 60 days to return overpayments once they are identified. The rule also includes a 10-year “look back” period on claims not identified by a provider.
The rule was slated to go into effect in February 2015, but was pushed back a full year due to “exceptional circumstances” regarding the rule’s complexity and the amount of public comments received, CMS said. The rule is now set to be implemented starting February 2016.
The OMB has 90 days to review the final rule, although that time period could be extended by the Department of Health and Human Services.
