According to Kaiser Health News, the Office of Medicare Hearings and Appeals (OMHA) reduced by 50% the waiting time for seniors who request a hearing before a judge.
OMHA decided most of the 5,162 Medicare appeals filed in federal fiscal year (FFY) 14 in addition to 1,535 older cases. This is a significant improvement from FFY 13, where one-third of beneficiary cases remained undecided in addition to 50% of FFY 2012 cases.
According to Kaiser Health News, requesting an OMHA hearing is the third of four stages in the Medicare appeals process and the first chance for beneficiaries or health care providers to present their case before a judge.
