Cash Payment for Medicaid Patients

[Guest guest]

I believe we discussed this before and the result was -- depends.

Some states say you can't bill patient directly if they have medicaid - ie Colorado.

I wonder how that works if the patient doesn't tell you they have medicaid and opts to pay cash.

Below is a past post for Colorado Medicaid.

Locke, MD

From: Locke's in Colorado Sent: Saturday, July 19, 2008 11:33 AMTo: Practice Management IssuesSubject: Medicaid -- Patient pay cash? --> RE: [practicemgt] Opting out of Medicare

Some of the discussion spilled over into whether a Medicaid patient could pay cash for a visit to a doctor that isn't part of Medicaid.

It sounds like it varies by state depending on what laws that state passed, so I was curious about Colorado...

It looks like Colorado prohibits even non-participating doctors from collecting from the patient.

It's not clear, but possibly the doctor can submit the claim to Medicaid even if they aren't a provider in Medicaid, but not sure. No time to research that part.

Interesting.

http://www.chcpf.state.co.us/HCPF/msb/msbdeptprogramrules.asp

http://www.sos.state.co.us/CCR/Rule.do?deptID=7 & deptName=2505,1305%20Department%20of%20Health%20Care%20Policy%20and%20Financing & agencyID=69 & agencyName=2505%20Medical%20Services%20Boar & ccrDocID=2917 & ccrDocName=10%20CCR%202505-10%208.000%20MEDICAL%20ASSISTANCE%20-%20SECTION%208.000 & subDocID=36453 & subDocName=8.012%20%20PROVIDERS%20PROHIBITED%20FROM%20COLLECTING%20PAYMENT%20FROM%20RECIPIENTS & version=7

8.012 PROVIDERS PROHIBITED FROM COLLECTING PAYMENT FROM RECIPIENTS

1222996

8.012.1 DEFINITIONS

1222997

8.012.1.A. Providers, for the purposes of this section 8.012, means any person, group or entity that renders services or provides items to a medical assistance recipient, regardless whether the person, group or entity is enrolled in the Colorado medical assistance program, excluding long-term care facilities licensed pursuant to Section 25-3-101, C.R.S. Section 25-3-101, C.R.S. is incorporated herein by reference. No amendments or later editions are incorporated. Copies are available for inspection from the following person at the following address: Custodian of Records, Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, 1570 Grant Street, Denver, Colorado 80203-1714. Any material that has been incorporated by reference in this rule may be examined at any state publications repository library. [Eff 12/31/2006]

1222998

8.012.1.B. Claim for Penalty means the documented notification by a recipient or estate of a recipient that a Provider collected or attempted to collect payment from the recipient for medical assistance covered items or services. [Eff 12/31/2006]

1222999

8.012.2 PROVIDER LIABILITY

1223000

8.012.2.A. Providers are explicitly prohibited from collecting payment, or attempting to collect payment through a third party, from a recipient or the estate of the recipient for the cost or the cost remaining after payment by Medicaid, Medicare, or a private insurer of Medicaid covered items or services rendered to Medicaid recipients. [Eff 12/31/2006]

1223001

8.012.2.B. Providers shall be liable to a recipient or the estate of the recipient if the Provider knowingly receives or seeks collections through a third party of an amount in payment for Medicaid covered items or services. [Eff 12/31/2006]

1223002

8.012.2.C. Providers are prohibited from collecting, or attempting to collect, payment from recipients for Medicaid covered items or services regardless of whether Medicaid has actually reimbursed the Provider and regardless of whether the Provider is enrolled in the Colorado medical assistance program. [Eff 12/31/2006]

1223003

8.012.2.D. Providers shall be liable for the amount unlawfully received, statutory interest on the amount received from the date of receipt until the date of repayment, plus a civil monetary penalty equal to one half of the amount unlawfully received. [Eff 12/31/2006]

1223004

8.012.3 RECIPIENT CLAIMS

1223005

8.012.3.A. To establish a Claim for Penalty, a recipient or the estate of a recipient shall forward a written notice of Claim for Penalty to the Department and to the Provider within one hundred and twenty (120) calendar days from the date the Provider unlawfully received payment from the recipient. Department correspondence shall be sent to Program Integrity, 1570 Grant Street, Denver, CO 80203. [Eff 12/31/2006]

1223006

8.012.3.B. The Claim for Penalty shall establish Provider liability to the recipient or estate of the recipient for repayment of the amount unlawfully collected plus interest and a civil penalty equal to one-half the repayment [Eff 12/31/2006]

1223007

8.012.3.C. The notice of Claim for Penalty shall be a written document submitted by a recipient or estate of the recipient to the Department and the Provider describing (1) what Medicaid covered items or services were rendered, (2) how much money the Provider collected from the recipient or the estate of the recipient for those covered items or services and (3) dates of service the items or services were rendered. [Eff 12/31/2006]

1223008

8.012.3.D. The written notice of Claim for Penalty from the recipient or the estate of the recipient shall be legible and include detailed documents to substantiate the Claim for Penalty that payment was given to and unlawfully received by the Provider. [Eff 12/31/2006]

1223009

1. Detailed documents to substantiate the Claim for Penalty may include but are not limited to credit card receipts, cash receipts or documentation of processed checks. [Eff 12/31/2006]

1223010

2. The recipient or estate of the recipient is responsible for providing supporting documentation at the same time the notice of Claim for Penalty is sent to the Department. [Eff 12/31/2006]

1223011

3. Claim for Penalty sent to the Department must include written documentation showing that notice of the Claim for Penalty was sent to the Provider. [Eff 12/31/2006]

1223012

4. Documentation showing the Claim for Penalty was sent to the Provider may include but is not limited to copies of the certified mail signature card, post office return receipt, courier service confirmation of delivery, signature of receipt by the Provider or representative of the Provider’s office or successful transmission report from a facsimile. [Eff 12/31/2006]

1223013

5. The Department may request additional information from the recipient or the estate of the recipient. It shall be the responsibility of the recipient or the estate of the recipient to satisfy the Department’s requests for information within ten (10) calendar days from the date of request for the Claim for Penalty to be evaluated by the Department. [Eff 12/31/2006]

1223014

6. The Department shall review the Claim for Penalty and documents substantiating the Claim for Penalty submitted by the recipient or the estate of the recipient. [Eff 12/31/2006]

1223015

7. Any notice of Claim for Penalty that is not legible or is submitted without documents to substantiate that payment was made to and unlawfully received by the Provider shall be considered unfounded and shall be dismissed by the Department. [Eff 12/31/2006]

1223016

8.012.4 PROVIDER RESPONSE

1223017

8.012.4.A. Within ten (10) calendar days from the date of the recipient’s written Claim for Penalty, the Provider named in the recipient’s Claim for Penalty shall present the Department with either a signed written position statement with supporting documentation pertaining to the recipient’s Claim for Penalty, or a signed written request for a telephone conference in which to be heard. [Eff 12/31/2006]

1223018

1. The written position statement with supporting documentation or the signed written request for a telephone conference shall be sent via certified mail, return receipt or FedEx/UPS so there is no dispute that Program Integrity, 1570 Grant Street, Denver, CO 80203 received them. [Eff 12/31/2006]

1223019

8.012.4.B. Provider requests for a telephone conference or signed written position statements received after ten (10) calendar days from the date of the recipient’s or the estate of the recipient’s Claim for Penalty, or failure to respond shall be considered a waiver of the Provider’s right to be heard and the Claim for Penalty shall be found in the recipient’s favor. [Eff 12/31/2006]

1223020

8.012.4.C. The Department shall determine whether the Claim for Penalty has been substantiated and shall send the recipient and the Provider named in the Claim for Penalty a written determination within thirty (30) calendar days from the date of the recipient’s or the estate of the recipient’s Claim for Penalty. [Eff 12/31/2006]

Locke, MD

From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of MyriaSent: Wednesday, September 24, 2008 10:37 AMTo: practiceimprovement1 Subject: (unknown)

Question for everyone.

I have patients who have Medicaid but are paying me cash because I don't take Medicaid.

I was putting the Medicaid information into the insurance data in Amazing Charts since I need it to fill in on lab slips or if I have to do prior auths.

Are there legal entanglements that I'm missing?

Thanks.