ASA Urges Expanded Batching of No Surprises Act Claims

The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) is urging the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (CCIIO) to ease existing rules and guidance regarding the batching of anesthesia claims in the No Surprises Act’s (NSA) Independent Dispute Resolution (IDR) process. 

On February 14, in a formal communication to CCIIO, ASA sought a policy change that will permit anesthesiologists to group or batch all of their anesthesia claims from the same insurance issuer when submitting claims to an IDR entity. Currently, under the direction of CCIIO, IDR entities may only adjudicate single claim disputes and batched disputes that include only claims with the same CPT code. This restrictive policy represents a significant operational burden on anesthesiologists and their practices. 

Further, with the January 1, 2023 600% increase from $50 to $350 of the non-refundable IDR administrative fee, practices will face a substantial financial burden until the current batching policy can be revised. Note: ASA has filed a joint amicus brief in support of a Texas Medical Association lawsuit challenging the fee increase. The correspondence with CCIIO follows a face-to-face meeting and conference calls on the batching issue with the agency in January.