In May, CMS changed the font (not the content) of the Advance Beneficiary Notice of Noncoverage (ABN) (Form CMS-R-131), which is issued by providers and suppliers in situations where Medicare payment is expected to be denied. CMS is transitioning to the new forms to allow providers and suppliers to exhaust pre-printed stockpiles of the outgoing ABNs. While use of the revised ABNs currently is optional, the new forms are mandatory beginning January 1, 2012. The new version of the form is identified by the date of 3/2011 in the lower left hand corner. If an older version of the ABN is issued on or after January 1, 2012, it will be considered invalid.