Home Health & Hospice Week

Fast track will last at least 3 more years.

An Aug. 1 federal court decision about Administrative Law Judge appeal times will bump appeals filed by beneficiaries to the front of the line.

A Connecticut federal court judge approved a settlement between six class action plaintiffs and the Office of Medicare Hearings and Appeals. The settlement in Exley v Burwell calls for placing beneficiaries at the front of the line for receiving ALJ hearings and decisions, according to a release from the Center for Medicare Advocacy, which represented the plaintiffs in the case.

“OMHA has already instituted the policy of prioritizing beneficiary appeals, with a positive effect on wait times,” CMA notes in the release. “The settlement ensures that this policy will continue for at least three years.”