The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released FAQ on the federal independent dispute resolution (IDR) process for surprise health care bills related to batching and air ambulances.
After an Aug. 3 court order vacated provisions requiring that services batched in one IDR dispute be billed under the same service code, HHS halted dispute processing. Subsequent guidance allowed IDR entities to resume dispute determinations for single and bundled disputes, although batched disputes remained unresolved.
The new FAQ instruct IDR entities on how to process batched disputes initiated before Aug. 3 at various stages in the IDR process. The questions also detail extensions needed to process air ambulance disputes when the federal IDR portal resumes processing these claims.
HHS’ proposed rules to update batching procedures will supersede these FAQ when effective.
Contact Director of Policy Rob Nelb, MPH, at rnelb@essentialhospitals.org or 202.585.0127 with questions.
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