#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 …
What Gives Hospitals and Government Health Benefit Plans the Right to Recover

March 9, 2023
Introduction
Navigating the complex world of healthcare liens can be overwhelming, especially for cases involving military personnel, Veterans, Medicaid recipients and the uninsured who need hospital care. However, understanding the intricacies of programs like …
What Gives Health Care Plans The Right To Recover?

January 12, 2023
Dealing with medical liens is the dreaded case after the case for most personal injury attorneys. As a personal injury attorney, you’ve worked hard to prove the tortfeasor has liability for the damages incurred …
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 …
Advanced Strategies for Closing Cases Compliantly: A Case Study

November 11, 2021
In the confusing landscape of public benefits and planning issues that arise today for trial lawyers when settling catastrophic injury cases, finding your way can be a daunting task. Many
questions come up such as should the …
Primary Payer Status Shifts from Liability Carrier to Plaintiff Post-Settlement

Rasa Fumagalli JD, MSCC, CMSP-F
In Penelope Stillwell v State Farm Fire and Casualty Co., et al. case (2021 WL 4427081), a plaintiff attempts to impose primary payer status on a liability insurer post-settlement via a qui tam action …
What Should You Do About Possible Health Insurance Liens?

August 12, 2021
When handling a third-party liability case and you know your client had health insurance that paid the medical expenses, should you check to see if there is a lien interest on the settlement funds? …
The Evolution of The Workers’ Compensation Medicare Set-Aside (WCMSA) Arrangement

April 8, 2021
Rasa Fumagalli JD, MSCC, CMSP-F
The nature of the Workers’ Compensation Medicare Set-Aside (WCMSA) has evolved over the years since the 2001 Patel Memo. That evolution has seen us move from every WCMSA that met the Center …