[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 42, Volume 2]
[Revised as of October 1, 2002]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 42CFR424.55]

[Page 945]
 
                         TITLE 42--PUBLIC HEALTH
 
                             HUMAN SERVICES
 
PART 424--CONDITIONS FOR MEDICARE PAYMENT--Table of Contents
 
              Subpart D--To Whom Payment Is Ordinarily Made
 
Sec. 424.55  Payment to the supplier.

    (a) Medicare pays the supplier for covered services if the 
beneficiary (or the person authorized to request payment on the 
beneficiary's behalf) assigns the claim to the supplier and the supplier 
accepts assignment.
    (b) In accepting assignment, the supplier agrees to the following:
    (1) To accept, as full charge for the service, the amount approved 
by the carrier as the basis for determining the Medicare Part B payment 
(the reasonable charge or the lesser of the fee schedule amount and the 
actual charge).
    (2) To limit charges to the beneficiary or any other source as 
follows:
    (i) To collect nothing for those services for which Medicare pays 
100 percent of the Medicare approved amount.
    (ii) To collect only the difference between the Medicare approved 
amount and the Medicare Part B payment (for example, the amount of any 
reduction in incurred expenses under Sec. 410.155(c), any applicable 
deductible amount, and any applicable coinsurance amount) for services 
for which Medicare pays less than 100 percent of the approved amount.
    (3) Not to charge the beneficiary when Medicare paid for services 
determined to be ``not reasonable or necessary'' if--
    (i) The beneficiary was without fault in the overpayment; and
    (ii) The determination that the payment was incorrect was made by 
the carrier after the third year following the year in which the carrier 
sent notice to the beneficiary that it approved the payment.

[53 FR 6634, Mar. 2, 1988, as amended at 63 FR 20130, Apr. 23, 1998]