August 19, 2025
CERT ADR Schedule Change
The Comprehensive Error Rate Testing (CERT) review contractor issues an Additional Documentation Request (ADR) to obtain medical records for each claim line sampled for CERT review. Beginning with Review Year (RY) 2026, providers will only have 60 days to respond to the initial letter request. If you fail to submit the requested documentation within this timeframe, your claim will deny for non-response. To ensure timeliness, the best practice is to always respond within 45 days or sooner.
CERT ADR Schedule
Initial Request
For claims with universe date on or after July 1, 2024 (Report Year 2026 and later):
- Day 0: Send letter 1 requesting documentation. The provider has 45 days to furnish the requested documentation.
- Day 21: Telephone contact to follow up and offer assistance.
- Day 30: Send letter 2. The provider has 15 days left to complete the request.
- Day 35: Telephone contact to follow up and offer assistance.
- Day 45: Send letter 3. Response is due.
- Day 49: Telephone contact to follow up and offer assistance. Response is overdue.
- Day 60: Claim is counted as a non-response error and subject to overpayment recovery by the Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC).
Subsequent Request
While conducting medical review of the documentation received, the medical review specialist may identify a need for additional information and issue a new ADR to obtain missing documentation. The response time for this second request is shorter than the initial request:
- Day 1: Send letter 1.
- Day 1: Telephone contact to follow up and offer assistance.
- Day 10: Send letter 2.
- Day 10: Telephone contact to follow up and offer assistance.
- Day 16: Claim returns to the review process.
Claim Universe Dates
Each reporting year includes claims submitted July 1 two years before the report through June 30 one year before the report. For example, reporting year 2024 includes claims submitted July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2023.
References

