CMS Pub. 100-06, ch. 4, § 80.2

Physicians and Other Suppliers

(Rev. 205; Issued: 02-09-12, Effective: 07-01-12, Implementation: 07-02-12)

Medicare contractors shall offer providers the opportunity to request immediate recoupment.

Providers can elect this process to avoid making payment by check and/or avoid the assessment of interest

if the immediate recoupment pays the debt in full before day 31. If providers request an immediate

recoupment they must understand that it is considered a voluntary repayment.

A. Medicare contractors shall offer two options.

• A one-time request on the specific overpayment and all future overpayments. Or

• A request on the specific overpayment addressed in demand letter.

B. Medicare contractors shall incorporate the following minimum information related to “immediate

recoupment” information on its website:

• This option is for demanded debts only.

• The request must be in writing, and may be submitted using regular mail, facsimile,

or email.

• The request must include the following:

1. Provider Name and contact number

2. Provider’s Medicare Number and/or the National Provider Identification (NPI)

3. Provider’s or the CFO’s signature

4. Letter number

5. Which option the provider is requesting

C. Medicare contractors shall post to the website the language in the demand letter related to the

immediate recoupment option.

D. Medicare contractors shall consider all written requests for an immediate recoupment as a

payment arrangement that constitutes a voluntary payment.

E. Medicare contractors shall inform providers that going through the immediate recoupment process

is considered voluntary payments. Refer to chapter 3 section 200 for overpayments subject to 935.

F. Medicare contractors demand letter and website shall explain, when there is a remaining

principal balance after the initial immediate recoupment you shall continue recoupment and other

collection activities.

G. Medicare contractors’ website shall include instructions for providers currently in an immediate

(offset) arrangement to submit a new request to continue the immediate recoupment process.

H. Medicare contractors shall allow previous immediate offset agreements to continue when

requested awaiting the submission of the new request.

I. Medicare contractors shall update each AR associated to the request within 10 business days

from the mailroom stamped receipt date. Refer to Chapter 4 §90.2.

J. As applicable, Medicare contractors shall use the new functionality in HIGLAS which allows user

to set the flag to immediate recoupment for multiple ARs instead of one AR.

K. Medicare contractors shall update individual or multiple AR’s in the shared systems when a

provider requests the immediate recoupment option.

L. Medicare contractors shall accept a written request to discontinue participation in the immediate

recoupment process at anytime.

M. Medicare contractor shall discontinue the recoupment process per providers’ written request.

• You shall stop this process within 10 business days from the mailroom stamped receipt

date.