Ted Doyle, the Performant MSP CRC Project Director, emphasized in his introductory remarks and throughout the presentation that their main goal is to make the transition seamless for all those who engage with the CRC. His message to stakeholders is CMS’s recovery processes and timeframes remain the same, it is only the entity handling those processes that is changing.
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Besides Mr. Doyle, other webinar participants were John Albert, the Director of the CMS Division of Medicare Benefits Coordination, and Laura Martinez, the MSP CRC NGHP Recovery Manager for Performant.
Key contractor transition information provided during the webinar was as follows:
- The current CRC contractor, CGI Federal, will cease operations effective Friday, February 9, 2018.
- Performant Recovery will commence CRC operations effective Monday, February 12, 2018.
- Transition cutover, or what CMS calls “Dark Days,” will occur on February 8 and 9. During this period while CGI Federal will continue to answer telephone calls and the Medicare Secondary Payer Recovery Portal (MSPRP) will be available, the information will be limited to what was available at close of business on February 7. Also, uploading documents through the MSPRP will not be available.
- Performant will go live as of 8am EST on February 12 at which point the MSPRP will once again be fully available as well as the call center. Correspondence received during the Dark Days or prior to the transition will be transferred to Performant for handling.
In regard to what will remain the same post-transition:
- All current cases initiated by CGI will be transitioned to Performant.
- Case information, copies of communication, correspondence and contact information, including letters of authority, will be fully accessible to Performant such that there should be no reason for stakeholders to resend correspondence or other information that was previously provided to CGI.
- There will be no changes to CMS established recovery processes or timeframes applicable to MSP recovery.
- The CRC Call Center will continue the same hours: 8am – 8pm EST
- The CRC Call Center phone number will remain the same: (855) 798-2627
- All Benefits Coordination and Recovery Center (BCRC) processes remain the same, including Section 111 Mandatory Insurer Reporting.
As for what is changing post-transition:
- Effective 2/12/2018* the CRC has a new address:Medicare Commercial Repayment Center – NGHP ORM
P.O. Box 269003
Oklahoma City, OK 73216*Any correspondence received prior to 2/12/2018 will be held and then processed starting on that date. - Effective 2/12/2018 the CRC fax number is (844) 315-7627.
As with any transition, some bumps are to be expected. We are hopeful these will be short-term and that the transition will not only be seamless, but that Performant improves the customer service aspect of the Medicare conditional payment recovery process. CMS and Performant engaging with Tower MSA and other stakeholders through this webinar is a good first step at building a collaborative relationship with those impacted by the CRC’s recovery efforts.
It was indicated a copy of the presentation slides will be made available on the downloads section of the CMS Coordination of Benefits and Recovery website next week.
Author Dan Anders, Chief Compliance Officer, Tower MSA Partners. Dan oversees the Medicare Secondary Payer (MSP) compliance program. In this position, he is responsible for ensuring the integrity and quality of the MSA program and other MSP compliance services and products. Based upon his more than a decade of experience in working with employers, insurers, TPAs, attorneys and claimants, Dan provides education and consultation to Tower MSA clients on all aspects of MSP compliance. Contact: (847) 946-2880 or [email protected]
