A Medicare patient refuses to sign an ABN that was properly present…

Question

A Medicare patient refuses to sign an ABN that was properly presented before a service the practice believes Medicare will deny. What should staff do?

Accepted Answer

Document the refusal according to CMS instructions, note that the notice was explained, and follow beneficiary-option and billing procedures for unsigned ABNs. — Refusal to sign isn’t a cue to shred the form or invent a signature. Write down that you offered and explained the ABN, then follow CMS’s path for unsigned notices. Paper the interaction; don’t pretend it never happened.

Answer

Destroy the ABN and bill Medicare as if no notice was ever offered.

Answer

Forge the patient’s signature so the claim can use GA modifier logic.

Answer

Refuse all future primary care to the patient without documenting the encounter.

A Medicare patient refuses to sign an ABN that was properly presented before a service the practice believes Medicare will deny. What should staff do?

Short Explanation

Full Explanation