Answers
Plain-language answers to the questions provider groups and billing teams actually ask about the No Surprises Act and federal independent dispute resolution. Written from the rules and from the CMS public use files, with the numbers cited so you can check them. For data-heavy guides and payer analysis, see the idrexplorer.com resource library.
IDR fees explained: what federal arbitration costs in 2026
The $15 administrative fee, the IDR entity fee both sides deposit, who gets refunded and when, and why the net cost of a won dispute is smaller than most groups think.
Read the answer →Batch or file individually? The economics of IDR batching
One arbitration fee can cover up to 25 claim lines today and 50 starting November 1, 2026. When batching is allowed, what it does to per-claim cost, and when a single filing is the right call.
Read the answer →The federal IDR timeline: every deadline in order
From the payer's initial payment to the 90-day cooling-off period, each window in business days and calendar days, and where claims silently die when nobody tracks them.
Read the answer →Are credentialing lag claims eligible for IDR?
When a new physician's claims process out-of-network because credentialing has not caught up, some of that revenue can be recoverable under the No Surprises Act. What determines eligibility.
Read the answer →State vs federal IDR: which process applies
Self-funded plans go federal. Fully-insured plans in states with their own arbitration process may go through the state instead. How to tell which track a claim is on, and why it changes your strategy.
Read the answer →What is the QPA (qualifying payment amount)?
The number every dispute orbits: the plan's 2019-anchored median contracted rate, inflation adjusted. Where it comes from, and what the public data says arbiters award relative to it.
Read the answer →You won at IDR. Now what?
The plan owes payment within 30 calendar days of the decision. What to track, what to do when the money does not show up, and how the cooling-off period shapes your next filings.
Read the answer →Have a question these do not cover?
Ask it on a 30 minute call, or start with the free NSA audit and we will answer it against your own numbers. You can also email contact@lidoidr.com.