The use of written notices to inform Medicare beneficiaries of their liability under specific conditions has been available since Title XVIII of the Social Security Act (the Act), section 1879, Limitation On Liability, was enacted in 1972 (P.L. 92-603). Under section 1879 of the Act, Medicare beneficiaries may be held financially responsible for items or services usually covered under Medicare, but denied in an individual case under specific statutory exclusions if the beneficiary is informed prior to furnishing the issues or services that Medicare is likely to deny payment.
Similar required notification and liability protections are available under other sections of the Act: section 1834(a)(18) refund requirements for certain items when unsolicited telephone contacts are made, section 1834(j)(4) for the same types of items when there is no required advance coverage determination or in the absence of a required supplier number; 1834(a)(15) for advance determinations for these items and section 1842(l) applicable to physicians not accepting assignment. Implementing regulations are found at 42 CFR 411.404(b) and (c), and 411.408(d)(2) and (f), on written notice requirements. These statutory requirements apply only to Original Medicare, not Medicare Advantage plans.
The notice used to fulfill this requirement is the Advance Beneficiary Notice of Noncoverage (ABN) which was last approved by OMB under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) in 2008.
When required, the ABN is delivered by Part B paid physicians, providers (including institutional providers like outpatient hospitals), practitioners (such as chiropractors), and suppliers, as well as hospice providers and Religious Non-medical Health Care Institutions paid under Part A. Other Medicare institutional providers paid under Part A use other approved notice for this purpose.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that the collection of information encompassed by this request complies with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding the proposed collection of information, that the certification covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.
Crosswalk Document for Changes to ABN2011.doc
2011ABN508trackchanges.docx
Advance Beneficiary Notice of Noncoverage (ABN) and Supporting Regulations in 42 CFR 411.404 and 411.408