#4 | Since You Asked: Synergy’s Workers’ Compensation Medicare Secondary Payer Advice Column

June 6, 2023
Rasa Fumagalli JD, MSCC, CMSP-F
The Medicare Secondary Payer Act impacts workers’ compensation, liability, and no-fault settlements involving a Medicare beneficiary. This month’s “Since You Asked” column addresses a situation where Medicare incorrectly denies non-injury-related treatment after …
Since You Asked: Synergy’s Workers’ Compensation Medicare Secondary Payer Advice Column

February 14, 2023
Rasa Fumagalli, JD, MSCC, CMSP-F
Oftentimes an attorney representing an injured worker may simply scan the defense’s Medicare Set-Aside and assume all the future medical issues have been addressed in the MSA. This month’s “Since You Asked” …
Is it Workers’ Compensation or Liability?

July 21, 2022
Rasa Fumagalli, JD, MSCC, CMSP-F
Netflix’s new baking competition show “Is it Cake” challenges judges to identify which of two identical objects is edible and which is not. Attorneys settling cases involving work-related injuries may find themselves …
An Examination of the Role of Structured Settlements in Funding Medicare Set-Asides

March 14, 2022
Rasa Fumagalli JD, MSCC, CMSP-F & Samantha Webster
Many Medicare Set-Aside (MSA) arrangements today are funded with structured settlements. There are some very good reasons for doing so, which are discussed below. However, it is critical to …
Saving a Settlement

February 8, 2022
Rasa Fumagalli JD, MSCC, CMSP-F
Most workers’ compensation attorneys have probably encountered a CMS WCMSA determination that is higher than the original Workers’ Compensation Medicare Set-Aside proposal that was submitted for review. A higher WCMSA determination post …
#3 | Since You Asked: Synergy’s Workers’ Compensation Medicare Secondary Payer Advice Column

October 14, 2021
Rasa Fumagalli JD, MSCC, CMSP-F
As we reflect on the 20th anniversary of the devastating September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on US soil and all the lives lost, we cannot forget the heroic efforts of all …
#2| Since You Asked: Synergy’s Workers’ Compensation Medicare Secondary Payer Advice Column

September 9, 2021
Structured settlements may be used to fund a Workers’ Compensation Medicare Set-Aside (WCMSA). Samantha Webster, Synergy’s Director of Case Management, addresses two common questions that come up about funding of a WCMSA with a structured …
#1 | Since You Asked: Synergy’s Workers’ Compensation Medicare Secondary Payer Advice Column

July 28, 2021
Rasa Fumagalli JD, MSCC, CMSP-F
Introducing “Since You Asked,” Synergy’s first in a series of columns addressing MSP compliance questions in the area of workers’ compensation.
Question:
“My client is settling her case and does not know …
Post-Settlement Conditional Payment Issues in Workers’ Compensation Claims

May 13, 2021
Rasa Fumagalli JD, MSCC, CMSP-F
The conditional payment recovery process in a workers’ compensation claim is not always smooth. Although the workers’ compensation insurance carrier will generally resolve any conditional payments in an accepted claim, the injured …
Medicare Secondary Payer Compliance Challenges in WC Cases

March 11, 2021
Rasa Fumagalli JD, MSCC, CMSP-F
Medicare Secondary Payer compliance issues in workers’ compensation cases are generally straightforward when the parties seek review of the Workers’ Compensation Medicare Set-Aside (WCMSA) proposal and proposed settlement by the Centers for …