Hospitals Have Until January 31, 2017 to Participate in CMS’s 2016 Hospital Appeals Settlement Program – As previously reported here, CMS is offering a new Hospital Appeals Settlement program to allow eligible providers to settle certain pending inpatient appeals for 66 percent of the net allowable amount.  Hospitals interested in participating in the 2016 Hospital Appeals Settlement program, which opened on December 1, 2016, must submit an Expression of Interest no later than January 31, 2017.  According to CMS, the purpose of the 2016 Hospital Appeals Settlement program is to reduce the backlog of pending Medicare appeals, as well as to reduce the associated litigation risk for providers and the Medicare program.  For additional information from CMS regarding the 2016 Hospital Appeals Settlement program, please click here.