CMS said all federal independent dispute resolution processes are temporarily suspended in response to a Texas judge’s latest ruling in a series of lawsuits challenging provisions of the No Surprises Act.
The agency said the suspension is taking place while necessary changes are being made to comply with the court’s decision, according to a notice on CMS’ website. Disputing parties should continue to engage in open negotiation, Becker’s reports.
In his Aug. 24 ruling, U.S. District Judge Jeremy Kernolde — who has overseen all four lawsuits filed by the Texas Medical Association — disallowed several provisions related to the qualifying payment amount. The TMA argued the provisions of the rule “skew negotiations in favor of health insurers so strongly that health insurers will force physicians out of insurance networks and physicians will face significant practice viability challenges, struggling to keep their doors open in the wake of the pandemic.” Read more.
