US · guidance
CMS Pub. 100-05, ch. 3, § 10.1.3
Payment When a Proper Claim is Not Filed
If a provider, physician, or other supplier receives from a payer, that is primary to Medicare, a
payment that is reduced because the provider, physician, or other supplier failed to file a proper
claim, the provider, physician, or other supplier must include this information on the claim for
secondary payment that is submitted to Medicare. Medicare’s secondary payment will be based
on the full payment amount (before the reduction for failure to file a proper claim) unless the
provider, physician, or other supplier demonstrates that the failure to file a proper claim is
attributable to a physical or mental incapacity of the beneficiary that precluded the beneficiary
from being able to provide other payer information.
For example, a physician’s charges are $1,000. The primary plan’s allowable charges without
reduction for failure to file a proper claim are $800.00. The Medicare allowable was $700.00.
The primary plan would have paid $640.00 if a proper claim had been filed. The primary plan
reduced its payment to $500.00 because the physician had not filed a proper claim. Medicare’s
secondary payment would be based on a primary plan payment of $640.00 rather than the
reduced amount of $500.00. The beneficiary may not be billed for the reduction in the primary
plan’s payment due to the physician’s failure to file a proper claim.
History
(Rev.11874, Issued: 02-23-23, Effective: 03-24-23; Implementation: 03-24-23)
Provenance
- Source
- cms.gov
- Retrieved
- 2026-08-25
- Edition
- iom-2026-08-25
- Content hash
8ddb261c1923b4c582ba9c1e1df570cf02b5b95b827bea8b300249ded3684851
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