How to Avoid Medicare Payment Interruptions After January 1, 2020

Attention Medicare providers! if you want to continue receiving Medicare payments without delay please ensure that your practice or billing provider is using MBIs for all Medicare transactions as soon as possible and prior to January 1, 2020. As you may recall, The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is requiring that “physicians, providers, and suppliers submitting claims to Medicare Contractors (MACs), including Durable Medicare Equipment MACs (DME MACs) and Home Health and Hospice MACs” use the new Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MPI) for all transactions billed starting on January 1, 2020, the transactions includes services provided before this date. Thus, any claims submitted on or after January 1, 2020 using the Health Insurance Claim Numbers (HICNs) will be rejected causing delays and unnecessary extra work as well as the possibly interruption to the providers’ cash flows. See MLN Matters SE18006, dated August 19, 2019.

Fortunately, for providers in the appeals process (redetermination, reconsideration, or Administrative Law Judge) they can continue to use either HICNs or MBIs.

Please feel free to contact Ralph Gaitan, Esq., at [email protected] or at (786) 264-5570 should you require additional information or assistance with submission of an appeal with your assigned MAC.