A Guide to Medicare’s New Electronic Payment Function

Medicare has announced it is adding an electronic payment function to its portal starting April 1^st. This is an exciting new functionality that can help plaintiff law firms and defense insurance carriers alike. Medicare’s sixty-day limit to pay will feel just a little bit longer with this immediate pay option.

We have compiled a step-by-step guide to help you take advantage of the new electronic payment function on the Medicare portal.

1. Sign in to Medicare’s MSPRP Portal at https://www.cob.cms.hhs.gov/MSPRP/login and search for the correct case. Your organization will have to have prior authorization through Medicare’s systems for this individual case.
2. The new electronic payment function is located on each Medicare case page. On that page, and under the Payment Information tab, the system will list out specifics about your case with Medicare, including the Medicare Demand amount. You will find the brand-new payment button directly under that amount.
3. On the Make a Payment page, it will list the payment amount due to satisfy the Medicare lien. A blank under that amount will allow you to enter the amount you want to pay on the file. Of course, the only way to satisfy the entire Medicare lien is to enter the Demand amount. You will then have to enter the Account Holder Name, as it is listed with Medicare. If you make any typos or other errors causing the information to be incorrect, you will be able to hit the ‘previous’ button to correct it.
4. Next, you will be redirected the Pay.gov site to enter your payment information. Pay.gov is a secure, online payment system run by the Department of Treasury. You may recognize it from paying parking tickets online. Unlike those parking tickets, there is no fee to use it to satisfy a Medicare Demand. Even if you have a Pay.gov login, though, you must go through the MSPRP portal first. This process only works after you have selected the proper case on the MSPRP and are redirected to the Pay.gov site.
5. Next, you can finally choose a payment method. There are three approved payment methods: debit card, direct payment from a checking or savings account (including your client trust accounts) and PayPal where you can use a credit card. For an unknown reason, each of the payment forms has different limits:
   • Debit card: The limit is $24,999.99;
   • Bank account/Client trust account: the limit is $99 Million. (No, we’re not joking.); and,
   • PayPal (Credit card): The limit is just $10,000.00.

6. You should be very aware of these limits when making electronic payments for Medicare demands. If demand is not paid in full, the file will accrue interest until the entire lien is satisfied. If you are purposely making a partial payment because of an appeal, then you must upload the appeal to the portal, in order to prevent the file from accruing interest.
7. If you notice any of the information is incorrect on the Pay.gov payment information page, you can always hit cancel, to return to the previous screen. This page is your last opportunity to edit information or cancel the payment process.
8. Once you have completed your payment, you will be redirected to the Payment Status page on the MSPRP Portal, where it will list out your information, and indicate that your payment is processing. Your payment will take 1-3 business days to process. Just like mailed payments, the date that you submit the payment electronically is what will be used, and you will not risk accruing interest as long as it is on or before the Medicare Demand due date.

9. Finally, you can press continue and you will be redirected to the Case Info page. The Electronic Payment History tab will display payments made electronically and show the status of payment as pending, accepted, or declined. When the payment is accepted, “HHSCMS” will appear on your bank statement.

Lastly, what does this wonderful process mean for you? Simply put: it’s easier to avoid Medicare’s penalties for late payments. There are a large number of not-so-well-known processes to make the Medicare Lien Resolution process easier. Keep an eye on this blog for updates on our latest tips and tricks to expertly handle Lien Resolution and Medical Cost Projections, including Medicare Set Asides.

UPDATE: The Medicare new electronic payment function is now live! This exciting new functionality will make submitting payments and satisfying Medicare liens faster and simpler. Use our step-by-step guide to make sure everything goes through properly the first few times that you submit payments electronically. Please leave any comments or questions below.