Medicare Provides Forms to Close CRC and BCRC Cases
by P. Czuprynski
On May 13, 2024, Medicare issued two new forms that can be used to request that Medicare close a Commercial Repayment Center (CRC) or Benefits Coordination & Recovery Center (BCRC) claim that is open within the Medicare system.
The BCRC is responsible for the recovery of liability, no-fault, and workers’ compensation (collectively referred to as Non-Group Health Plan or NGHP) claims where the beneficiary must repay Medicare. The CRC is also responsible for recovery of NGHP claims where a liability insurer (including a self-insured entity), no-fault insurer, or workers’ compensation entity (Responsible Reporting Entity or RRE) is the identified debtor.
Medicare did not issue any guidance associated with the forms, but upon review of the documents, it appears they can be used when Ongoing Responsibility for Medical (ORM) is being terminated, or in the event you are notifying Medicare that there will be no settlement associated with the claim.
For example, if BCRC has a case open in its system, but settlement is no longer indicated, the BCRC form may be used to ask Medicare to close the BCRC case.
The CRC form may be especially useful for RREs who have initially reported ORM but have switched Section 111 Reporting systems. The form allows a RRE to input ORM termination on claims reported before the switch.
Both forms are available on the CMS website and can be found using the links below. Completing these forms does not guarantee Medicare will close their search and collection efforts, but it will increase the likelihood of the same.
BCRC Case Closure Detail Document
CRC Case Closure Detail Document
Investigating traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage liens prior to settlement and negotiating such liens not only for unrelated but also non-reimbursable charges is the best way to mitigate significant costs and limit future exposure.
If you have any questions regarding either the BCRC or CRC Case Closure Detail documents, or to would like to discuss how IMPAXX can assist with lien resolution and development of a comprehensive lien resolution program, please contact our Settlement Consulting team at [email protected].