As a result of AHA lawsuit, HHS continues to reduce appeals backlog

Dec 22, 2021 - 02:32 PM
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Seal

The Department of Health and Human Services through Sept. 30 has reduced by more than 75% its backlog of Medicare appeals at the Administrative Law Judge level, according to a status report the agency provided Dec. 21, 2021 to a federal court.
 
“By the end of the fourth quarter of 2021, a total of 60,062 appeals remain pending at OMHA, [Office of Medicare Hearings and Appeals], which is a reduction of over 85% from the starting number of appeals identified in the Court’s order (426,594 appeals),” HHS told the court. 
 
The reduction puts the agency ahead of schedule for reducing the backlog in response to a 2018 federal court ruling in favor of the AHA and its member hospital plaintiffs, which established annual deadline-based targets for reducing the backlog of Medicare appeals at the ALJ level. HHS also reported that additional appeals received at OMHA this quarter totaled 7,930, compared to 8,083 last quarter, with only 232 Recovery Audit Contractor-related receipts compared with 288 last quarter.
 

Related News Articles

Headline
House vote expected on government funding package
The House is expected to begin a final vote Nov. 12 on the Senate-backed funding package, bringing a potential end to the government shutdown one step closer.…
Headline
Senate passes funding legislation, sends to House for consideration 
The Senate Nov. 10 passed legislation to fund the federal government that will now head to the House for a vote as early as the evening of Nov. 12, as an end…
Headline
Senate reaches deal to potentially end government shutdown this week
The Senate Nov. 9 took a critical first step toward ending the government shutdown as seven Democrats and Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, joined Republicans to…
Headline
Senate negotiations ongoing as longest government shutdown in history continues
Senate negotiations on a potential funding deal to end the record-long government shutdown are ongoing, and the chamber is likely to continue working through…
Headline
AHA supports House bill pausing home health cuts for two years 
The AHA expressed support Nov. 3 for the bipartisan Home Health Stabilization Act (H.R. 5142), legislation that would establish a two-year pause on planned…
Chairperson's File
Chair File: Inside the Shutdown and Other Key 2025 Priorities
Public
This week brings the fourth week of the federal government shutdown as Congress has yet to pass legislation to fund the government. This shutdown is a bit…