The HHS Office of Medicare Hearings and Appeals (OMHA) has announced the Settlement Conference Facilitation (SCF) program, a pilot alternate dispute resolution process designed to bring the appellant and CMS together to discuss the potential of a mutually-agreeable resolution to the claims appealed to an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) hearing. If a resolution is reached, a settlement document is drafted by the facilitator (an employee of OMHA) to reflect the agreement and the document is signed by the appellant and CMS at the settlement conference session. As part of the agreement, the requests for an ALJ hearing for the claims covered by the settlement will be dismissed.
This article is presented for informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute legal advice.
