OMB-approved ABN becomes effective June 2017

The Office of Management and Budget approved a renewed Advance Beneficiary Notice of Noncoverage (ABN) form and its instructions in late March. This version of the ABN becomes effective June 21, 2017.

In general, the content of the English and Spanish versions of the form did not change. However, the expiration date on the form was moved out to March 2020. The bottom of the ABN now includes the language informing beneficiaries of their rights in regards to CMS’ nondiscrimination practices, and it also includes a telephone number and email address for obtaining alternate formats of the ABN.

An ABN is a written notice given to a patient with traditional Medicare when it is believed a service will not be covered by Medicare Part B, which may make the patient liable for the cost of that service. However, the ABN is not a denial of coverage of services, and a claim may still be filed for the services. The ABN should list the service in question, its estimated cost, and the reason why Medicare may not pay for the service. The patient can then make an informed decision as to whether he or she wishes to bear the cost of services by continuing with the plan of care.

The ABN form and its instructions are available for download on CMS’ FFS ABN website. For questions about the ABN, email RevisedABN_ODF@cms.hhs.gov.