Q/A: Am I Supposed to List the Frequency and Duration on the ABN?

"The notifier must list the specific items or services believed to be noncovered under the header of Blank (D).

• In the case of partial denials, notifiers must list in Blank (D) the excess component(s) of the item or service for which denial is expected.
• For repetitive or continuous noncovered care, notifiers must specify the frequency and/or duration of the item or service. See § 50.14.3 for additional information.
• ..."

Section 50.14.3 states the following:

"50.14.3 - Repetitive or Continuous Noncovered Care
(Rev.1587, Issued: 09-05-08, Effective: 03-03-08, Implementation: 03-01-09) 
Notifiers may give a beneficiary a single ABN describing an extended or repetitive course of noncovered treatment provided that the ABN lists all items and services that the notifier believes Medicare will not cover. If applicable, the ABN must also specify the duration of the period of treatment. If during the course of treatment additional noncovered items or services are needed, the notifier must give the beneficiary another ABN. The limit for use of a single ABN for an extended course of treatment is one year. A new ABN is required when the specified treatment extends beyond one year."

Notice the "if applicable" used in conjunction with the "must". Because CMT is a covered benefit which is not always payable (i.e., maintenance care) it comes down to semantics. So go ahead and state the duration and frequency, but we recommend being a little more vague and saying "up to" or "approximately" before listing a number of visits per year (e.g., up to 24 visits/12 months).

About Wyn Staheli, Director of Content - innoviHealth

Wyn Staheli is the Director of Content Research for innovHealth. She has over 30 years of experience in the healthcare industry. With her degree in Management Information Systems (MIS), she has been a programmer for a large insurance carrier as well as a California hospital system. She is also the author and editor of many medical resource books and the founder of InstaCode Institute.