FFS ABN

The Advance Beneficiary Notice of Noncoverage (ABN), Form CMS-R-131, is issued by providers (including independent laboratories, home health agencies, and hospices), physicians, practitioners, and suppliers to Original Medicare (fee for service - FFS) beneficiaries in situations where Medicare payment is expected to be denied. The ABN is issued in order to transfer potential financial liability to the Medicare beneficiary in certain instances. Guidelines for issuing the ABN can be found beginning in Section 50 in the Medicare Claims Processing Manual, 100-4, Chapter 30 (PDF). 

Note: Skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) issue the ABN to transfer potential financial liability for items/services expected to be denied under Medicare Part B only.

3/13/2026: The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has approved the control number for the Advance Beneficiary Notice of Non-coverage (ABN) (CMS-R-131).  CMS is notifying the industry through our website, and the Medicare Learning Network and has posted the updated version of the ABN below. The updated ABN is effective now and expires March 31, 2029.  Providers may continue to use the expired version of the ABN until May 12, 2026, but must transition to the approved form no later than that date.

Questions?

Questions regarding the ABN can be submitted at: https://appeals.lmi.org/