405.1885—Reopening an intermediary determination or reviewing entity decision.
(a) General.
(1)
A Secretary determination, an intermediary determination, or a decision by a reviewing entity (as described in § 405.1801(a) of this subpart) may be reopened, for findings on matters at issue in a determination or decision, by CMS (with respect to Secretary determinations), by the intermediary (with respect to intermediary determinations) or by the reviewing entity that made the decision (as described in § 405.1885(c) of this subpart).
(2)
A determination or decision may be reopened either through own motion of CMS (for Secretary determinations), the intermediary or reviewing entity, by notifying the parties to the determination or decision (as specified in § 405.1887 ), or by granting the request of the provider affected by the determination or decision.
(3)
An intermediary's discretion to reopen or not reopen a matter is subject to a contrary directive from CMS to reopen or not reopen that matter.
(4)
If CMS directs an intermediary to reopen a matter, reopening is considered an own motion reopening by the intermediary. A reopening may result in a revision of any matter at issue in the determination or decision.
(5)
If a matter is reopened and a revised determination or decision is made, a revised determination or decision is appealable to the extent provided in § 405.1889 of this subpart.
(6)
A determination or decision to reopen or not to reopen a determination or decision is not a final determination or decision within the meaning of this subpart and is not subject to further administrative review or judicial review.
(b) Time limits—
(1) Own motion reopening of a determination not procured by fraud or similar fault.
An own motion reopening is timely only if the notice of intent to reopen (as described in § 405.1887 of this subpart) is mailed no later than 3 years after the date of the determination or decision that is the subject of the reopening. The date the notice is mailed is presumed to be the date indicated on the notice unless it is shown by a preponderance of the evidence that the notice was mailed on a later date.
(2) Request for reopening of a determination not based on fraud or similar fault.
(i)
A reopening made upon request is timely only if the request to reopen is received by CMS, the intermediary, or reviewing entity, as appropriate, no later than 3 years after the date of the determination or decision that is the subject of the requested reopening. The date of receipt by CMS, the intermediary, or the reviewing entity of the request to reopen is conclusively presumed to be the date of delivery by a nationally-recognized next-day courier, or the date stamped “Received” by CMS, the intermediary or the reviewing entity (where a nationally-recognized next-day courier is not employed), unless it is shown by clear and convincing evidence that CMS, the intermediary, or the reviewing entity received the request on an earlier date.
(ii)
A request to reopen does not toll the time in which to appeal an otherwise appealable determination or decision.
(iii)
A request to reopen that is received within the 3-year period described in this paragraph is timely, notwithstanding that the notice of reopening required under § 405.1887 of this subpart is issued after such 3-year period.
(3) Reopening of a determination procured by fraud or similar fault.
A Secretary or intermediary determination or decision by the reviewing entity may be reopened and revised at any time if it is established that the determination or decision was procured by fraud or similar fault of any party to the determination or decision.
(c) Jurisdiction for reopening.
Jurisdiction for reopening an intermediary determination or intermediary hearing decision rests exclusively with the intermediary or intermediary hearing officer(s) that rendered the determination or decision (or, when applicable, with the successor intermediary), subject to a directive from CMS to reopen or not reopen the determination or decision. Jurisdiction for reopening a Secretary determination, CMS reviewing official decision, a Board decision, or an Administrator decision rests exclusively with CMS, the CMS reviewing official, Board or Administrator, respectively.
(1) CMS-directed reopenings.
CMS may direct an intermediary or intermediary hearing officer(s) to reopen and revise any matter, subject to the time limits specified in paragraph (b) of this section, and subject to the limitation expressed in paragraph (c)(2) of this section, by providing explicit direction to the intermediary or intermediary hearing officer(s) to reopen and revise.
(i) Examples.
An intermediary determination or intermediary hearing decision must be reopened and revised if CMS provides explicit notice to the intermediary that the intermediary determination or the intermediary hearing decision is inconsistent with the applicable law, regulations, CMS ruling, or other interpretive rules, general statements of policy, and rules of agency organization, procedure, or practice established by CMS in effect, and as CMS understood those legal provisions, at the time the determination or decision was rendered by the intermediary. CMS may also direct the intermediary to reopen a particular intermediary determination or decision in order to implement a final agency decision (as described in §§ 405.1833, 405.1871(b) and 405.1875 of this subpart), a final, non-appealable court judgment § 405.1877, or an agreement to settle an administrative appeal or a lawsuit, regarding the same determination or decision.
(2) Prohibited reopenings.
A change of legal interpretation or policy by CMS in a regulation, CMS ruling, or other interpretive rules, general statements of policy, and rules of agency organization, procedure, or practice established by CMS, whether made in response to judicial precedent or otherwise, is not a basis for reopening a CMS or intermediary determination, an intermediary hearing decision, a CMS reviewing official decision, a Board decision, or an Administrator decision, under this section.
(3) Reopening by CMS or intermediary of determination currently on appeal to the Board or Administrator.
CMS or an intermediary may reopen, on its own motion or on request of the provider(s), a Secretary or intermediary determination that is currently pending on appeal before the Board or Administrator.
(i)
The scope of the reopening may include any matter covered by the determination, including those specific matters that are appealed to the Board or the Administrator.
(ii)
The intermediary must send a copy of the notice required under § 405.1887(a) to the Board or to the Administrator, through the Office of the Attorney Advisor, specifically informing that the matter(s) to be addressed by the reopening is currently under appeal to the Board or to the Administrator or is covered by the same determination that is under appeal.
(4) Reopening of determination within the time for appealing that determination to the Board.
CMS or an intermediary may reopen, on its own motion or on request of the provider(s), a Secretary or intermediary determination for which no appeal was taken to the Board, but for which the time to appeal to the Board has not yet expired, by sending the notice specified in § 405.1887(a) of this subpart.
[73 FR 30265, May 23, 2008]