CMS Pub. 100-04, ch. 30, § 110.5.1

A. Generally, notifiers (physicians, practitioners, suppliers, providers) are not required to

routinely submit copies of ABNs (CMS-R-131) to their Medicare contractor along with

their claims (see §50.6.3). This is based on a rebuttable administrative presumption that a

certain modifier (GA) or occurrence code (32) on the claims signify that notifiers are

using the proper standard form CMS-R-131 and are preparing and delivering ABNs in

compliance with the instructions in this Chapter.

B. Contractors may and should request CMS-R-131 ABNs (or any other ABN if the

circumstances demand) be submitted to them for review in any circumstance in which the

contractor is not confident that the administrative presumption is correct or in which the

contractor has good reason to examine the ABNs of either particular notifiers or any class

of notifiers. In the case where a contractor requests submission of copies of ABNs, the

notifiers must submit such copies (see §50.6.3).

C. All Hospital ABNs (HINNs) will be reviewed by QIOs (see §80.5) and all HHABNs

and SNFABNs will be reviewed when the contractor performs complex medical review

of the demand bills.