The Office of Personnel Management, and the departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and Treasury, issued an interim Final Rule on October 7 implementing key sections of the No Surprises Act. This interim final regulation, referred to as “Part II,” addresses the independent dispute resolution process providers and plans may use to adjudicate any outstanding reimbursement disputes, the good faith cost estimates providers must share with uninsured or self-pay patients for scheduled services, a process to resolve any disputes between uninsured/self-pay patients and providers about the cost estimates, and an external review process as part of the oversight of health plan/issuer compliance with the law and regulations.
The agencies also established a website where interested parties may go to apply to serve as an independent dispute resolution entity and where providers and plans may initiate the process. While the provisions in the regulations generally go into effect Jan. 1, 2022, the agencies will accept stakeholder comments for 60 days.
The regulation is available in the Federal Register.
