Naples Quoted on New NSA Dispute Resolution Portal

The portal, which is set to launch in November, will provide a centralized system for providers and insurers to manage disputes, monitor case progress, and receive notifications. The platform is intended to help stakeholders navigate the growing volume of NSA payment disputes.

Pat said the portal could improve the arbitration process, noting that “It could make the IDR process run more smoothly and efficiently, and therefore resolution may take less time than it does currently.” Adding, “that’s a possibility if the system works well.”

While the new platform may improve administration of the process, Pat noted that many of the industry’s broader concerns are unlikely to disappear.

“The weightier disputes and complaints that providers and payors on both sides have with respect to the IDR process will continue,” Pat said. “There are still going to be disputes about QPA methodology. There are still going to be disputes about IDR award enforceability. I would still expect there to be collateral litigation related to ineligible claims.”

Pat noted that significant challenges facing the arbitration system will continue and said he is interested in how the new platform may improve data tracking and trend analysis capabilities. He said, “It’s hard to imagine a circumstance in which it would be less transparent or efficient. But how much it improves, I think, is all going to come down to execution.”

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