i'd like to recognize the gentlelady from california, mrs. speier, for her opening statement. >> i want to thank chief judging dwriz world for appearing before us today on this important issue. you know, i think we can all agree that medicare providers are entitled to have their claims administered fairly, efficiently and without undue delay so that they can focus on their core mission of providing care to our nation's seniors. if they are billing incorrectly, they deserve to know sooner than later. unfortunately, that is not the situation facing providers today. medicare providers appealing payment decisions made by contractors are waiting on average 387 days to have their claims adjudicated by the office of medicare hearings and appeals. for providers submitting new claims, the wait could be as long as 28 months just to have an appeal assigned to an alj. the current claims backlog at omha is unacceptable and unsustainable. omha must make significant changes in how it does business. i look forward to hearing from the chief judge about the initiativ

thank you process thank you in a fairway so are ways that we can help in the process because as mrs. speier mentioned being -- bringing on more entries not going to solve this. there's no way can give 400 more alj's so there has to be another solution to this to determine how we get answers. part of this is we understand he is on cms and you should not have the number getting to you that is giving to you. so i'm looking at these percentages and i know we have kicked around numbers that let me mention one number. when i look at percentages i've pull out their amended because those are coming back. i've pull out dismissed because they are not even getting to you. when i look at that fully favorable and partially favorable for part a i don't read the other numbers. that's showing 65% either fully or partially favorable resolution for them if they get to you. that tells me the job is not getting done on the cms site. you should not have that high of a percentage of overturns getting to you. there's something being messed. part of the issue is we have to press on cms to get some of these things

speier for his statement. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i want to thank chief judge griswold for appearing before us today on this important issue. you know, we can all agree medicare providers are entitled to have their claims administered rarely come efficiently and without undue delay so they can focus on their core mission of providing care to our nation's seniors. if they are believed incorrectly, they deserve to know sooner or later. unfortunately, that is not the situation the same providers today. medicare providers appealing payment decisions made by contractors are waiting on average 387 days to have their claims adjudicated by the office of medicare hearings and appeals. for providers in many new claims, the way can be as long as 28 months. just to have an appeals side to an alj. the current claims backlog at omaha's unacceptable and unsustainable. omha must make significant changes in how it does business. i look forward to hearing from the chief judge about the initiatives omha is doing to alleviate the backlog. i also want to

know, as congresswoman speier point out, the goal is to have the case paid if it is a proudly -- paid a early in this process as possible and keep them from reaching the alj level. >> mr. chairman, may i add a little? >> sure you can. >> i want to touch on this. is their training coming from you to alj down, back down to cms back to cms? is cms accepting that direct audit? i'm going to use an example that's happening in the orthotics and prosthetics industry where after an artificial limb is made and delivered to the patient, the claim is being denied iraq audits because the actual word patient is -- of a amputee does not appear in the physician's note. but the workstation guard artificial limb or prosthesis up your and the medicare history includes payment for the search and to conduct a limb amputation. and so many of these denials could be eliminated if when they get to -- these are getting reversed at alj. is their feedback going back down to the same as saying, look, just because the exact word does not appear in the surgeons note that the patient is an amputee doesn't mean that you deny these, because if you book it says that the physician is saying they need a