Thirty days hath September, but you’ll have 45 to get your documentation supporting an ADR’d claim in to your Medicare contractor. You have 45 days to respond to an Additional Doc-umentation Request (ADR), CMS says in MLN Matters article MM8583, issued on Nov. 14 and effective on April 1, 2015. On the 46th day after the MAC requests the documentation, your claim will be denied if you haven’t sent the requested materials, CMS spells out.
Unfortunately, if you’re in a bind and unable to meet the 45-day threshold, CMS does not appear likely to give you more time. “The reviewer should not grant extensions to providers who need more time to comply with the request,” CMS says in Transmittal 554, also issued Nov. 14. “Reviewers shall deny claims for which the requested documentation was not received by day 46.”