CMS Webinar Delves Further into Non-Submit MSA Matters

February 26, 2022

Man confused on a Non Submit MSA

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently hosted a webinar on Workers’ Compensation Medicare Set-Asides (WCMSAs). While the webinar covered several topics around MSA submissions, CMS policy toward non-submit and evidence-based MSAs was an attendance-driver, according to its presenter, John Jenkins, Health Insurance Specialist for the CMS Division of Medicare Secondary Payer Operations.

As Tower’s recent articles CMS: Non-Submit MSAs Potentially Shift Costs to Medicare and CMS Letter Confirms Non-Submit MSA Denial is Real noted, the addition of Section 4.3 to the WCMSA Reference Guide has raised many questions and led some payers to reconsider whether non-submit MSAs are the best option for them.

Here is a webinar summary with Tower’s comments on Mr. Jenkins’ statements pertaining to non-submit MSAs along with a breakdown of some of the other matters discussed.

Non-Submit MSAs

Mr. Jenkins explained that the addition of Section 4.3 on non-submit and evidence-based MSAs was in response to industry requests for CMS’s position on such products.

He said that Section 4.3 is consistent with prior policy announcements which advise that Medicare has a right of recovery up to the settlement amount when the MSA is not CMS-approved and is prematurely exhausted.

  • Tower comment:  As we indicated in our prior article on Section 4.3, we believed this would be CMS’s position.

Mr. Jenkins could not clear up the question about MSAs that do not meet the CMS WCMSA review thresholds, i.e., Medicare beneficiary and total settlement higher than $25,000.  First, he said CMS treats these as if they never existed, thus the total settlement would be considered available to pay for future medical. However, later he said that if CMS obtains the non-submit MSA amount, that amount may be used to determine the “marker” in their system (This marker determines whether Medicare will pay for a certain treatment). Ultimately, he indicated further policy guidance will be issued around under-threshold MSAs.

  • Tower comment:  The common working file is CMS’s system to coordinate benefits to Medicare beneficiaries so that Medicare does not pay when a primary payer is available to pay. CMS places the marker for certain diagnoses to enable it to deny payment for treatment related to those diagnoses codes.  CMS needs to clarify how under-threshold MSAs will be treated. If parties have included a clinically and/or legally reasonable and defensible MSA in the settlement or have acceptable reasons for not including one, CMS should limit the liability for future medicals to the MSA amount. Perhaps CMS will have a post-settlement review process but its details are not clear at this time.

Mr. Jenkins went on to indicate that if CMS receives the non-submit documentation, settlement, and MSA amount, then it will use this information to place a marker in the common working file to deny medical care until such time as the settlement is exhausted.

According to Mr. Jenkins, CMS expects that Medicare should never see an injury-related bill if the non-submit MSA is priced correctly. If the MSA prematurely exhausts, the Medicare beneficiary will have to provide reasons for its exhaustion. Then it would be up to CMS to determine if the allocation and spending of the MSA were appropriate, using the same process used to approve MSAs.

  • Tower Comment:  Mr. Jenkins said that they see many instances of CMS-approved MSA funds exhausting and expects the same from non-submit MSAs. Even the best cost projections for future medical care are, in the end, still predictions. Future medical inflation alone will increase costs in addition to changes in treatment and medications. Thus, while a majority of non-submit MSAs will appropriately cover future medical care, some non-submit MSAs–just like some CMS-approved MSAs–will exhaust.

Mr. Jenkins referenced conducting some type of review if non-submit MSA exhausts, similar to the current pre-settlement WCMSA review process. Naturally, this raises more questions.  First, who is completing the review? The current CMS WCMSA review contractor, CMS itself, or some other contractor? What criteria will be used as part of the review? What documentation must be submitted to support the MSA allocation as sufficient and the fund spending as appropriate? To verify adequate funding, the same documentation used at settlement (medical treatment records, prescription histories, and rated ages) would likely be required. We assume appropriate spending of the funds would be determined using healthcare bills and payment receipts.

Mr. Jenkins advised that if a structured MSA’s funds exhaust in any given year, CMS will not temporarily step in to pay for injury-related care as it does with a CMS-approved MSA.

  • Tower Comment:  This leaves anyone with a non-submit MSA annuity in a difficult position. They would need to use their personal funds to pay for medical until next annuity payment is received when they could theoretically reimburse themselves. Even if they can reimburse their medical bills from the annuity payment, CMS is not likely to agree that reimbursing interest payments that occurred from putting medical bills on a credit card is an appropriate use of these funds.

Mr. Jenkins was clear in stating that the MSA, whether CMS-approved or not, is an agreement solely between CMS and the Medicare beneficiary.

  • Tower Comment:  This indicates that CMS will not take any action against the employer or insurance carrier as they are not seen as a party to the agreement. That said, there remain repercussions to the payer. A Medicare beneficiary claimant may be reluctant to agree to a settlement with a non-submit MSA. Additionally, the workers’ compensation board, commission or other governing authority may be less likely to approve such a settlement.

Mr. Jenkins stated that a large number of CMS-approved MSAs exhaust early and that non-submit MSAs are even more likely to exhaust early.

  • Tower Comment:  The allegation that a large number of CMS-approved MSAs exhaust early is, thus far, unsupported by data from CMS.

As to whether Section 4.3 of the reference guide applies retrospectively or just prospectively, Mr. Jenkins said that while what was stated in this section has always been CMS policy, anything after 1/11/22 must meet this requirement.

  • Tower Comment:  We believe this statement is still unclear. Does this mean that CMS will only apply this policy to settlements that occur after 1/11/22 or does it apply to settlements that took place before 1/11/22 when MSA funds continued to be used after that date?

Finally, Mr. Jenkins advised that Section 111 reporting and WCMSAs are not connected. Therefore, the agency does not use the Section 111 Total Payment Obligation to the Claimant (TPOC) data to place a marker in the common working file.

  • Tower Comment:  While this has been our understanding, CMS’s statement that it does not use Section 111 reporting data to stop Medicare payment for post-settlement medical is significant. It means that unless the settling parties proactively advise CMS of a non-approved MSA, CMS will continue to pay for injury-related care because it is unaware that an MSA was funded.

While the webinar answered some questions around CMS’s approach to non-submit MSAs, many remain. We believe CMS needs to significantly increase its guidance to Medicare beneficiaries surrounding their rights, responsibilities, and the risks they face when settling a claim with a non-submit MSA. At a minimum, CMS may not automatically acknowledge the non-submit MSA amount as the extent of liability for future medical. Consequently, the Medicare beneficiary may be placed in a position to defend the MSA amount and their spend from that amount at some point years in the future.

Other MSA Matters

  • Submission of settlement documents:  CMS continues to identify cases where settlement occurred, and the settlement documents were not forwarded to CMS. These documents must be submitted to make the MSA effective in CMS’s system.
  • Electronic attestation:   Mr. Jenkins indicated that MSA administrators are not submitting yearly and final attestations electronically even though this option is available. He encouraged its use.
  • State statutes:  Advised that parties who wish to limit the MSA per the Georgia 400-week cap need to provide an order from the Georgia Workers’ Compensation Board confirming the claim as non-catastrophic. Also, if a California Independent Medical Review (IMR) confirms the denial of certain care, CMS will not exclude the denied care from the MSA without an “Alternative Treatment Plan” from the treating physician.
  • Pricing of Prescription Drugs:  Addressed a question about whether CMS would consider another pricing mechanism for prescription drugs other than Red Book by saying that CMS is always open to a discussion on alternatives.
  • Lack of updated medical treatment:  In situations where the claimant has not been treated in several years CMS will not assume that this is sufficient evidence to demonstrate that no further care is necessary. Instead, CMS will consider the worst-case scenario and assume that the claimant will return for care.
  • Comorbidities that prevent surgery:  If a comorbidity, such as cardiac or respiratory problems, prevents a surgery from proceeding, CMS will assume that the person will improve and thus allocate the surgery in the MSA.
  • Release from care statements:  If a treating physician releases a claimant from care this does not automatically create a presumption of no future care. CMS assumes that if a specialist releases the claimant from care that there may be follow-up with a primary care physician for ongoing maintenance unless otherwise indicated.
  • MSA Amended Reviews:  Advised that parties who have a previously approved MSA that falls outside of the 72-month window for submitting an Amended Review can still fund that older approved MSA as it will be the only one on record with CMS.

If you have any questions, please contact Dan Anders, Chief Compliance Officer, at 888.331.4941 or daniel.anders@towermsa.com.

 

CMS Letter Confirms that Denial for Non-Submit MSAs is Real

February 11, 2022

Man confused about Medicare Set Aside (MSA) and cms denial

CMS to Hold WCMSA Webinar on February 17

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services updated its Workers’ Compensation Medicare Set Aside (WCMSA) Reference Guide on 1/10/22 adding a section that addresses non-submit MSAs or evidence-based MSAs. The new section makes it clear that CMS will treat the use of such MSAs as a potential attempt to shift the financial burden of future medical care to Medicare.

Since the update, questions have swirled around whether CMS will follow through and deny payment for Medicare beneficiaries with non-submit MSAs.

Now we know CMS does and will.

Tower obtained a recent letter sent to a Medicare beneficiary claimant in which CMS advised that while a certain amount for future medical was agreed to in settlement between the claimant and the employer/insurer, as the claimant chose to forgo the CMS WCMSA review process, Medicare will not pay until the entire settlement minus procurement costs is exhausted.  In other words, the non-submit MSA is not recognized as the limit of settlement funds available to pay for future medical.

The letter states:

Section 1862(b)(2)(A) of the Social Security Act prohibits the Medicare program from making payment where payment was made or may reasonably be expected to be made by another party. 42 C.F.R. 411.46 specifically allows Medicare to deny payment for treatment of work-related conditions if a settlement does not “adequately protect Medicare’s interest”-that is, does not include enough money to pay for treatment of those conditions. Because you did not seek prior review and approval by CMS of the amount set aside in your settlement for your future medical care, Medicare will not pay for the treatment of your work-related condition until you have demonstrated the appropriate exhaustion of your “net” settlement proceeds. Please review the enclosed package for information about the submission of annual attestations. Once you have shown that the settlement proceeds (total settlement amount minus procurement costs such as attorney fees, and minus funds repaid to Medicare for care prior to the date of settlement) have been exhausted, Medicare will make payment again. If you have questions about this letter, please call RO-09 CUSTOMER SERVICE at (415) 744-3658.

Also notable is that CMS issued the letter on 1/13/2022, a few days after the WCMSA Reference Guide update on 1/10/2022.  In addition, the letter references a settlement date of 11/17/2021, one that occurred before the update. This confirms CMS is reviewing non-submit MSAs retrospectively.

The letter shows that CMS does not recognize the amount set aside for future medicals when it has not reviewed and approved the MSA. Instead, the Medicare beneficiary claimant must exhaust the amount in their entire settlement minus procurement costs before Medicare will cover future medicals. The following scenario illustrates this:

Parties settle a workers’ compensation case for $50,000 inclusive of $10,000 for a non-submit or evidence-based MSA.  Procurement costs (attorney’s fees and expenses) are $12,000 of the settlement.  Post-settlement the claimant Medicare beneficiary (whether self or professionally administering the MSA) uses the $10,000 to pay for injury-related treatment and medications. However, treatment is still needed.

At this point, Medicare’s position is that the entire settlement amount minus procurement costs, $50,000 – $12,000 = $38,000 is available to pay for such care.  It would need to be documented to CMS that not just $10,000, but $38,000 was paid for injury-related care before Medicare steps in to pay.

There is no problem with Medicare unless the $10,000 runs out and injury-related care is still needed.

As Tower discussed in our prior article, CMS; Non-Submit MSAs Potentially Shift Costs to Medicare, and in our recent webinar, many questions remain.  Some may be answered in CMS’s upcoming webinar on Thursday, February 17, at 1 p.m. ET.

Here is the announcement:

CMS will be hosting a webinar to discuss a variety of WCMSA topics, including a summary of what’s new in Medicare set-asides, and addressing questions related to the inclusion of treatments, application of state rules, re-reviews/amended reviews and more. The webinar format will be opening remarks and a presentation by CMS followed by a live question and answer session with representatives from CMS.

Note, there is no pre-registration, instead just follow the provided link shortly before the webinar start time.

Additionally, Tower is working with our industry colleagues at the National MSP Network (MSPN) to directly address questions around the policy and seek needed clarifications, especially around retrospective applicability, Medicare beneficiary claimant appeal rights, and settlements that do not meet CMS WCMSA review thresholds.

The bottom line is CMS has begun 2022 with a significant effort to assert what it believes is its right to claim the entire settlement amount, minus procurement costs, as available to pay for future injury-related medical when the settlement does not include a CMS-approved MSA. Parties to settlements where the CMS WCMSA review thresholds are met and the MSA is not submitted should be wary of the risks and the potential extent of liability for payment of future medical before Medicare will pay for injury-related care.

Since its founding a decade ago, Tower has recommended MSA submission when CMS review thresholds are met. Consequently, we have extensive experience in the CMS submission process and can identify and address MSA cost drivers and facilitate quick CMS MSA approval.  We would be pleased to discuss a seamless transition from a non-submit to submit MSA program which properly addresses future medical costs while also confirming CMS compliance.

If you have any questions, please contact Dan Anders, Chief Compliance Officer, at 888.331.4941 or daniel.anders@towermsa.com.

Study Shows Post-Settlement Medicare Treatment Denials Do Occur

February 1, 2022

Medicare card and info on handling Medicare Treatment Denials

A recent study finds Medicare treatment denials systematically occur in medical claims for Medicare beneficiaries with Medicare Set-Asides (MSAs).

“Don’t worry so much about the Medicare Set-Aside; Medicare will never deny post-settlement treatment claims.”  That is the refrain from some when the matter of an MSA inclusion in settlement arises.

Tower has consistently warned that Medicare has steadily increased efforts to protect the agency’s interests. One need only look at CMS’s Section 111 Mandatory Insurer Reporting platform or its two conditional payment recovery contractors, the CRC and BCRC, to see CMS is serious about enforcing the Medicare Secondary Payer (MSP) Act. Still, some believe that Medicare will not deny claims post-settlement.

Thanks to our Professional Administrator Partner Ametros, we now know CMS will deny post-settlement claims for injury-related treatment.

Ametros wanted to know what happened when a Medicare beneficiary with a fully funded, CMS-approved MSA failed to report proper exhaustion of funds to Medicare and then billed Medicare for injury-related claims.  To find out, Ametros’ General Counsel Shawn Deane and Senior Strategic Account Executive Jayson Gallant worked with the Research Data Assistance Center (ResDac) to analyze Part B claim data.

The result?

Researchers examined a random sample of five percent of the Medicare beneficiary population over a three-year period. They estimated the following number of claims were denied because WCMSA funds were responsible for their payment.

  • 35,980 in 2018
  • 36,060 in 2019
  • 30,720 in 2020

The key conclusion of the report is “Medicare is systematically denying MSA recipients’ claims, and with steady frequency.”

You can download the free report “A Study of CMS Policy on Treatment Denials for Injured Workers with a Medicare Set Aside from Ametros’ website (ametros.com/medicaredenials).  Plus, Ametros will present the study’s findings in a February 15 webinar starting at 1 p.m. EST. Register here.

Practical Implications

As Tower always suspected–and as CMS always warned–the agency will deny claims that should be covered by an MSA.  Consequently, the most important implication is the need for the proper administration of those funds whether that is with professional administration or self-administration assistance.  Both services are available through our partner Ametros and are recommended for most MSAs.

The study specifically indicated it did not consider non-submit MSAs or non-CMS-approved MSAs.  One might argue then that a non-submit MSA is the better option because if CMS is not aware of the MSA, it will not deny payment for injury-related medical care.  Such a position is problematic for the following reasons:

  • While CMS may not be aware of a non-submit MSA, it is aware of any settlement involving a Medicare beneficiary claimant because these are reported through the Section 111 reporting process.
  • CMS recently updated its WCMSA Reference Guide to add Section 4.3 which views non-submit/evidence-based MSAs “as a potential attempt to shift financial burden” to Medicare.  The guidance goes on to state that “CMS will deny payment for medical services related to the WC injuries or illness requiring attestation of appropriate exhaustion equal to the total settlement less procurement costs before CMS will resume primary payment obligation for settled injuries or illnesses.”
  • Given CMS has a process in place to deny injury-related treatment in CMS-approved MSAs, where a CMS-approved MSA is not on records, CMS can presumably use the Section 111 reporting information to deny payment for medical treatment up to the settlement amount.

Accordingly, a non-submit MSA when the MSA qualifies for CMS review/approval presents its own risks and with CMS’s increased focus on non-submit MSAs, these risks are heightened.

Whether a CMS-approved MSA or non-submit MSA is used, payers should commit to producing MSAs that balance care, cost and compliance and strongly encourage those MSAs are professionally administered by a company like Ametros.

Tower will host a webinar on February 5 at 2 p.m. ET, WC Settlements in Light of CMS Policy on Non-Submit MSAs which will touch on the Ametros study and further discuss the implications of CMS policy toward non-submit MSAs.  Register here.

Please contact Dan Anders at daniel.anders@towermsa.com or 888.331.4941 with any questions.

 

Premier Webinar: WC Settlements in Light of CMS Policy on Non-Submit MSAs

January 25, 2022

pictures of Dan Anders & Kristine Dudley and details for webinar on Non-Submit MSAs

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recent policy statement which considers non-submit/evidence-based MSAs “as a potential attempt to shift financial burden” to Medicare left many questions in its wake (See CMS: Non-Submit MSAs Potentially Shift Costs to Medicare).  It has triggered many payers, along with injured workers and their attorneys, to reconsider the choice to avoid the CMS MSA review and approval process.

On Thursday, February 3 at 2:00 PM ET, Tower’s Chief Operations Officer Kristine Dudley and Chief Compliance Officer Dan Anders will address the many questions which arise out of this announcement and walk attendees through how a move from a non-submit to submit MSA program can still yield cost-effective settlements with the added protection of CMS approval.

Here’s just some of what you will learn:

  • Background on CMS policy on submit vs. non-submit MSAs and what it means for the future of MSAs
  • Potential defenses to CMS claim that a non-submit MSA was deficient
  • A how-to guide to transition from non-submit to submit MSA program which still settles WC cases
  • Tools available to contain MSA costs whether the MSA is submitted or not

While the webinar focus is on those that have primarily pursued a non-submit MSA course, portions on MSA cost containment and ensuring the availability of MSA funds over a lifetime are important to submitters and non-submitters alike.

A Q&A session will follow the presentation, and you can send your questions to Daniel.Anders@TowerMSA.com now. Please click the link below and register today!

Register here

CMS: Non-Submit MSAs Potentially Shift Costs to Medicare

January 13, 2022

Scale heavy with money showing the costs of Non -Submit Medicare Set-asides

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ updated Workers’ Compensation Medicare Set-Aside Reference Guide (Version 3.5) has a new section on the use of “Non-CMS Approved Products to Address Future Medical” that says CMS views non-submit/evidence-based MSAs “as a potential attempt to shift financial burden” to Medicare.  Below is the new section followed by key takeaways and Tower answers to questions stemming from the new policy.

4.3 The Use of Non-CMS-Approved Products to Address Future Medical Care

 A number of industry products exist with the intent of indemnifying insurance carriers and CMS beneficiaries against future recovery for conditional payments made by CMS for settled injuries. Although not inclusive of all products covered under this section, these products are most commonly termed “evidence-based” or “non-submit.” 42 C.F.R. 411.46 specifically allows CMS to deny payment for treatment of work-related conditions if a settlement does not adequately protect the Medicare program’s interest. Unless a proposed amount is submitted, reviewed, and approved using the process described in this reference guide prior to settlement, CMS cannot be certain that the Medicare program’s interests are adequately protected. As such, CMS treats the use of non-CMS-approved products as a potential attempt to shift financial burden by improperly giving reasonable recognition to both medical expenses and income replacement.  

As a matter of policy and practice, CMS will deny payment for medical services related to the WC injuries or illness requiring attestation of appropriate exhaustion equal to the total settlement less procurement costs before CMS will resume primary payment obligation for settled injuries or illnesses. This will result in the claimant needing to demonstrate complete exhaustion of the net settlement amount, rather than a CMS-approved WCMSA amount.

Key Takeaways

  1. CMS specifically speaks to evidence-based / non-submit MSAs for the first time in the reference guide.
  2. CMS will treat the use of non-CMS approved products as a potential attempt to shift the financial burden to Medicare, calling this process “improper”
  3. As a matter of “policy and practice,” CMS will deny payment for medical services related to WC injuries until total settlement has been exhausted. 
  4. CMS does not limit this to future MSAs only…this could impact existing non-submit MSAs.

Questions and Answers

Does this represent a change in CMS policy toward non-approved MSAs?

No. As mentioned in other sections of the reference guide, CMS has consistently stated that when an MSA is not approved, Medicare may deny related medical claims or pursue recovery for related medical claims that Medicare paid up to the full amount of the settlement.

What CMS does do in this version of the reference guide is to directly address evidence-based and non-submit MSAs along with MSA vendor indemnifications that sometimes accompany such MSAs.  It presumes non-CMS-approved products may represent a cost-shift to Medicare.

This presumption then leads to their next statement in which they indicate the claimant will need to demonstrate complete exhaustion of the net settlement amount before CMS will pay primary for injury-related medical care.  Consequently, this could mean that even with an MSA, the claimant would need to access their settlement funds to pay for future injury-related medical care.

Is Section 4.3 applicable to all MSAs ever done or prospective MSAs?

There is no indication that this policy only applies to future MSAs and settlements.  Consequently, unless CMS says otherwise payers should assume that CMS takes this position for any settlement whether past or future.

If a non-submit MSA was used to settle a case does the beneficiary have cause for concern?

Keep in mind that CMS involvement is only triggered when Medicare is requested to pay for injury-related medical care.  If the MSA amount sufficiently pays for such care, then the beneficiary does not have to worry. However, if the MSA amount is exhausted, then CMS has made it clear that it will deny payment.

What happens if the claimant wants to dispute the denial?

The claimant Medicare beneficiary has a statutory right to appeal Medicare’s denial.  Presumably, the beneficiary or someone on their behalf will need to submit an appeal.  The appeal would assert that the non-submit or evidence-based MSA was reasonable at the time of settlement.  The outcome of this is uncertain as to date CMS has not routinely denied medical care in settlements involving non-submit and evidence-based MSAs.

If a non-submit MSA was utilized to settle a case does the payer have cause for concern?

If the payer provided some type of indemnification or guarantee or is otherwise open to liability for a failure to properly fund future medical, those provisions may be tested.

What about non-submit MSAs that could not be submitted because the CMS MSA review threshold was not met?

If CMS was to deny payment in these cases the Medicare beneficiary could rebut the denial based on the reasonableness of the MSA at the time of settlement and on the basis that there was no CMS WCMSA review process available to ascertain whether the amount appropriately addressed Medicare’s interests.

How does this affect my MSA program?

If you have a program that largely obtains CMS MSA approval when review thresholds are met, then Section 4.3 is not relevant except for MSAs that were under threshold. (However, I believe Section 4.3 targets settlements that meet CMS MSA review thresholds.)

On the other hand, if you have maintained a program that largely does not submit MSAs to CMS for approval, then the risk of MSA exhaustion and denial of injury-related medical is real.

Tower recommends taking a critical look at whether non-submit/evidence-based MSAs remain the best policy for you and the injured worker.  Once plaintiff attorneys review this policy, they may not consider a non-CMS-approved MSA sufficient to protect their client’s access to Medicare for injury-related care in the future.

Cost-Effective CMS-Approved MSAs are Possible

The non-submit MSA route has usually been taken based on an assumption that all CMS-approved MSAs contain unrealistic allocations.  While there are some of those, Tower has found that MSA costs can be contained so that a CMS-approved MSA can pave the way to settlement.  We do this through a clear understanding of CMS’s MSA pricing methodology and knowing exactly what will lead to MSA increases or development letters that delay CMS MSA approval.  Tower proactively obtains records and physician statements or works with our clients to do this so cases can be settled without concern that CMS may deny payment for future injury-related medical care.

Please contact Chief Compliance Officer, Dan Anders, with any questions about this or any other MSP compliance issue at Daniel.anders@towermsa.com or 888.331.4941.

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Tower Non-Submit MSA: A Reasonable Alternative

September 1, 2021

Man confused on a Non Submit MSA

To submit or not submit a Medicare Set-Aside for approval from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has been a hot-button issue for several years.    While some follow a global non-submit strategy others opt to follow CMS’s guidance, where possible, considering a non-submit MSA only in specific situations.   Whether a Non-Submit MSA is utilized for settlement depends on several factors and risk tolerances, and Tower MSA Partners stands ready to analyze your claim and help you decide.

A Non-Submit MSA, sometimes called an Evidence-Based MSA, may be a reasonable alternative when the settlement does not meet CMS’s Workers’ Compensation Medicare Set-Aside Arrangement (WCMSA) review thresholds. It may seem obvious to use a Non-Submit MSA when the MSA will not be submitted to CMS, but as the methodology in drafting the Non-Submit MSA varies from CMS policy (as detailed below) some prefer to stick to CMS policy for drafting the MSA, even when not submitted.

Besides utilizing a Non-Submit MSA when CMS MSA review thresholds are not met, as the review process is voluntary, settling parties may choose a Non-Submit MSA even when the review thresholds are met.  This carries with it inherent risks in that CMS takes the position that if the funds set-aside prove insufficient “Medicare will refuse to pay for services related to the WC injury (and otherwise reimbursable by Medicare) until such expenses have exhausted the entire dollar amount of the entire WC settlement.”

A Non-Submit MSA report may have a lower allocation amount than a CMS-approved MSA because of the following features:

  • Full Use of Evidence-Based Medicine – Use of evidence-based medicine, i.e., Official Disability Guidelines (ODG) or state treatment guidelines to determine reasonable care to allocate in MSA.
    • CMS inconsistently uses evidence-based medicine in its MSA review process. Using ODG and state treatment guidelines may result, for example, in a lower frequency of diagnostic testing or physical therapy visits compared to a CMS-approved MSA.
  • Examining Physician Opinions Considered – Both treating and examining physician recommendations are considered in drafting the Non-Submit MSA.
    • CMS gives little consideration to examining physician opinions in its approval process.  Depending on the case, the examining physician may be in a better position to provide appropriate recommendations for current and future medical care because of their expertise and the timing of their opinion.  For example, a recent IME opinion on the necessity of surgery may be followed as opposed to a treating physician recommendation from a year ago.
  • State Statutes and Regulations Followed – Fully follow state statutory, regulatory, and other legal bases for including or excluding care from the MSA.
    • While CMS approval requires an “Alternative Treatment Plan” when medical care is denied through a statutory utilization review (UR) process, a Non-Submit MSA will exclude care solely based on the UR determination.  For example, a prescription medication will not be allocated in the MSA when a UR determination supports denial.
  • Claimant Statements and Agreements Considered – Consideration of claimant statements and settling party agreements concerning future medical care.
    • CMS will not usually exclude the cost of care from an MSA for a procedure or device, such as a spinal cord stimulator, based on a claimant’s statement that they will not pursue that care. Yet that statement or an agreement among the parties that certain medical care is disputed and not included in the settlement, is sufficient for a Non-Submit MSA. For example, evidence of the claimant repeatedly refusing surgery will usually result in its exclusion from the MSA.
  • Professional Administration Recommended: Except for minor MSA allocations, Tower strongly recommends having a professional administrator manage the Non-Submit MSA funds. If CMS ever questions the use of these funds, proper administration will confirm they were spent properly, enabling a seamless transition to Medicare for payment if the funds run out. And, Tower proudly partners with Ametros for professional administration of all MSAs: Non-Submit MSAs and those that are CMS-approved.

Depending on the facts of the case, a Non-Submit MSA can have a significantly lower allocation than a CMS-approved MSA and still reasonably consider Medicare’s interests.  Nonetheless, using a Non-Submit MSA poses risks to the settling parties that should be fully considered and accepted prior to settlement.

Tower offers free consultations on Non-Submit MSAs. If you have any questions about these or other areas of Medicare Secondary Payer compliance, please contact Dan Anders, Chief Compliance Officer, at daniel.anders@towermsa.com or 888.331.4941.

The Patel Memo Launched the Medicare Set-Aside Review Process

July 28, 2021

The Patel Memo Launched the Medicare Set-Aside Review Process

Last week, July 23, 2021, to be precise, marked the 20th anniversary of the Patel Memo, which set the stage for the Medicare Set-Aside industry as we know it. Released under the name of Parashar B. Patel, Deputy Director, Purchasing Policy Group for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the memo was directed to the CMS Associate Regional Administrators on the subject of “Workers Compensation: Commutation of Future Benefits.”

It addressed questions sent to CMS regional offices from attorneys who were settling workers’ compensation cases and submitting MSAs to regional offices for review and approval. Although there were some MSAs before this time, the Patel Memo of July 23, 2001, had a pivotal impact and led to the start of several MSA and MSP compliance companies, including Tower MSA Partners 10 years ago.

The memo cited regulatory authority and gave a green light for the regional office review and approval process for submitted MSAs, including criteria and thresholds for review for non-Medicare beneficiary claimants.  It established instructions for the regional office to add the MSA to the CMS common working file and annual accounting requirement for the MSA administrator once the MSA was funded.  The memo also acknowledged structured set-aside arrangements, confirmed that an MSA should be allocated over life expectancy and allowed for fee schedules as a basis for allocating care.

Some of its provisions did not stand the test of time and were eliminated by subsequent CMS memos. These included a prohibition on the use of the MSA funds before Medicare entitlement, indexing the MSA for inflation, and regional office review of the administrative fee and expenses to be charged to the arrangement.

Although the WCMSA Reference Guide officially supplanted the Patel Memo, the memo laid the foundation for the WCMSA review process.

If you’d like to know more about the man behind the memo, listen to this interview conducted by Shawn Deane, General Counsel of our professional administration partner Ametros.

Dan Anders in WorkCompWire: Getting Real Value Out of Your Medicare Set Aside

May 20, 2021

a gavel and a magnifying glass to represent Medicare Set Aside settlement process

Tower believes strongly that the true business value of a Medicare Set Aside (MSA) is in its ability to facilitate the settlement of a workers’ compensation claim.  Dan Anders shared insight on this topic in this week’s WorkCompWire’s Leaders Speak column, Getting Real Value out of Your MSA.

Some WC payers see an MSA as a necessary evil when it comes to trying to settle a claim with an injured worker who is at or near Medicare age.  They have an MSA company tally the future medical and pharmacy costs and either accept the allocated cost as is or freeze in sticker shock and put off any thought of settlement.  They might even settle part of the claim and choose to keep medicals open and remain at the mercy of medical inflation.

But there’s another, better option: use the MSA as a settlement tool.  Dan’s article lays out the facts and shows you how to use an “optimized MSA” and settlement partners to settle a workers’ comp claim.

What is an Optimized Medicare Set Aside?

The word optimize means “to make as effective, perfect, or useful as possible.” For Tower, a useful MSA helps settle a claim. An effective MSA achieves the perfect balance of care, compliance and cost.

Tower reviews the claimant’s medical records carefully for cost drivers – things like brand name drugs when generics are available or discontinued medications and inappropriate or open-ended treatment.  Once these are identified, we recommend clinical interventions. With our clients’ approval, we implement these interventions.  Our Physician Follow-up service, offered at no charge when preparing an MSA, clarifies medical treatment and drug regimens with the treating physician(s), escalates the case to Physician Peer Review when needed, and obtains physician statements that document current, appropriate treatment in language CMS can use to approve the MSA.

We make MSAs as useful as possible, and we know how to build a great team of settlement partners.  Don’t settle for less.

If you have questions about settling with a CMS-approved MSA – or without one – or want to talk about any Medicare Secondary Payer compliance issue, contact Dan Anders at Daniel.anders@towermsa.com

Related Prior Posts:

Build a Better Tower: Partnerships Speed Settlements of Workers’ Comp Claims with Medicare Set Aside

Need a Second Opinion on an MSA?

Updated CMS Policy Changes Medicare Set-Aside Seed Calculation

April 29, 2021

book marked by sticky notes illustrating changes Section 111 reporting on ORM

An updated CMS policy change to the Workers’ Compensation MSA Reference Guide changes the Medicare Set-Aside seed calculation

On April 19, 2021, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released an updated Workers’ Compensation Medicare Set-Aside (WCMSA) Reference Guide, Version 3.3, which made a slight but notable addition to how the Medicare Set-Aside seed calculation seed amount is determined.  Specifically, CMS now requires the MSA seed amount to include the cost of the first surgery/procedure for each body part.  Previously, CMS accepted only one surgery in the seed even when there were additional surgeries for other body parts in the MSA allocation.

When settling parties choose to fund the MSA with an annuity, there is an initial deposit called the seed amount. The seed amount, under the prior rule, included the first two years of annual payments and, when applicable, the cost of the first surgery/procedure, the first replacement DME if the cost exceeds $500 and sometimes injections.

For example, an overall Medicare Set-Aside amount of $100,000 might breakdown to a $25,000 seed amount (with one surgery) with the remaining $75,000 placed in an annuity.

Under the new rule, requiring the Medicare Set-Aside seed calculation amount to include the first surgery for each body part does not change the overall MSA amount, but it puts more funds in the seed amount and less in the annuity. With the annuity less, the cost to the employer or carrier to fund the MSA will be more. In other words, taking the above example, where previously the seed amount was $25,000 (to include one surgery), the seed may now be $45,000 (to include two surgeries) with the annuity only funding $55,000.

CMS also made some other minor changes in this updated guide:

  • Updated the link to the CDC Life Expectancy table used by CMS (Section 10.3)
  • Added language confirming medication refills should be included when pricing intrathecal pumps (Section 9.4.5)
  • Noted that a Consent to Release “must be signed (by hand or electronically) with the full name of either the claimant, matching the claimant’s legal name, or by the claimant’s authorized representative, if documentation establishing the relationship is also provided. It must be a full signature, not initials.” (Section 10.2)
  • Clarified section regarding access to cases via the WCMSA Portal for Professional Administrators that were not the original submitters (Sections 16.2 and 19.4)
  • Updated the Major Medical Centers table for a Missouri entry (Appendix 7)
  • Added disclaimer to Appendix 4 stating that CMS does not endorse any of the listed products it uses for reference in calculating the MSA.
  • Noted that Conduent Strataware® was added to Appendix 4 as a tool for repricing medical bills to state mandated fee schedules, as well as usual, customary and recommend rates.

If you have any questions about these updates, please contact Tower’s Chief Compliance Officer, Dan Anders, at daniel.anders@towermsa.com or (888) 331-4941.

Related Prior Posts:

CMS Adds New Pricing Resource to WCMSA Reference Guide

CMS Expands MSA Amended Reviews & Modifies Consents to Release in Updated Reference Guide

Need a Medicare Set Aside Second Opinion?

October 27, 2020

nurse conducting research for a Medicare Set Aside Second Opinion in a manual

Has a Medicare Set Aside ever disrupted one of your settlements?  Any one of these things — unexpected medical, surgical or pharmacy costs, compliance issues, the way MSA administration will be handled, or the presence or absence of a structured settlement–can halt negotiations. 

Tower addresses cost drivers and deals with compliance situations long before preparing an MSA, so our clients don’t have to worry about MSAs impeding settlements and injured workers can be assured that their future medical needs will be met . 

However, recently we’ve been asked to review MSAs prepared by other companies and found significant cost drivers and other obstacles to settlements.  Fortunately, our free Medicare Set Aside Second Opinion service saved the settlements and helped to secure claim closures. 

Medicare Set Aside Second Opinion Case Study

Here’s one case. Based on her experience with managing a claim and its costs, an adjuster thought the $220,000 MSA produced by another MSP provider was too high and asked us to review it.

Following our standard workflow for new MSAs, our Intake Team compared the MSA’s “accepted body parts” against the client’s claim system and found significant discrepancies.

The MSA allocated for a lifetime’s supply of sertraline, a drug used to treat anxiety and depression. However, “psyche/stress” was not an accepted body part and the workers’ comp insurer had not been paying for it. 

Tower drafted a Body Part Letter that clarified the compensable conditions and specified those that were not accepted by or paid for by the insurer. Removing the drug from the allocation saved more than $58,000.

This 2nd Opinion review also detected recommendations for inappropriate medical treatment, including an unnecessary bladder surgery. Our Physician Follow Up Service – available at no extra cost to our clients – contacted the physician and obtained written confirmation of this, reducing the allocation by another $37,000+.  We also obtained a rated age from K.P. Underwriting that further reduced the treatment and prescription cost over life expectancy.  The total savings came to over $98,000.

MSA Value is in Claim Closure 

How could we do this when the other provider couldn’t?  It comes down to our philosophy and attitude.

Tower does not treat MSAs as commodities. Instead, we recognize that the real business value of an MSA is in its ability to facilitate claim settlement and closure.

Our role is to collaborate with clients to analyze and assess risk, review medical and pharmacy records to determine Medicare exposure, intervene when treatment changes are needed, and recommend the appropriate time to complete the MSA.

In short, we proactively work to reduce costs and posture files for settlement.

How We Achieve Settlement Success

We created MSA best-practices technology and continually update it to make sure we can always accurately allocate the MSA without overfunding.  Our MSP Automation Suite contains the very latest CMS coverage, coding and individual state pricing data.  We measure everything and analyze CMS responses line by line so we know what the agency will accept, what it won’t and when to push. 

We know where cost drivers tend to hide, and our Intake and Clinical Teams are trained to hunt them down. We know which interventions to apply at the right time to reduce costs.  We know how to phrase treatment and pharmacy changes and supply the precise documentation CMS needs to approve the MSA.

And we do all this the first time around, so you won’t need a second opinion. 


With Tower, payers can enter settlement negotiations with realistic MSAs that they can explain and defend.  (We’ll participate in these negotiations if you’d like.) 

Settle well the first time with Tower. But, if you have a questionable MSA, let us give you our free 2nd opinion. Download more information here or refer an MSA for a 2nd Opinion by contacting our Intake Team at 888-331-4941 or referrals@towermsa.com.