Medicare Beneficiary Notices Initiative (BNI) FFS ABN
Guidance for Medicare providers on issuing the Advance Beneficiary Notice of Noncoverage (ABN).
Issued by: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
Issue Date: August 03, 2020
The Advance Beneficiary Notice of Noncoverage (ABN), Form CMS-R-131, is issued by providers (including independent laboratories, home health agencies, and hospices), physicians, practitioners, and suppliers to Original Medicare (fee for service - FFS) beneficiaries in situations where Medicare payment is expected to be denied. The ABN is issued in order to transfer potential financial liability to the Medicare beneficiary in certain instances. Guidelines for issuing the ABN can be found beginning in Section 50 in the Medicare Claims Processing Manual, 100-4, Chapter 30 (PDF).
Note: Skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) issue the ABN to transfer potential financial liability for items/services expected to be denied under Medicare Part B only.
Questions?
Questions regarding the ABN can be submitted at: https://appeals.lmi.org/
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