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Timely Filing Rules May Depend on State Law

Published on Thu May 12, 2011

Question: One of our commercial payers has a timely filing rule that says we have to file a claim within 60 days of the date of service. I was told at a conference that we may not have to abide by that rule, however. Can I disregard the payer policy?Florida SubscriberAnswer: You shouldn't simply disregard the rule. If your payer has a timely filing rule, you should be aware of it and in many cases you are subject to the payer's policy. In some states, however, there is a state law that will supersede your payer's rule. Florida is such a state.In Florida, there is a state statute that says you have 180 days from the date of service (or inpatient discharge) to file a claim. Therefore, you can require that the commercial payer allow you the full 180 days. Other states have similar laws as well. For example, in [...]
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