March 15, 2018
Medicare will start mailing out new member ID cards in April to all Medicare covered individuals, including Premera’s Medicare Advantage (MA) members. Premera’s MA ID cards won’t change and our members should always present their Premera MA card to you for care.
When any Medicare patient presents their new card from Medicare, you’ll find that it will no longer feature beneficiaries’ social security numbers for identification. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is issuing members a Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI).
During the transition period, April 1, 2018 through December 31, 2019, CMS will accept either the old health insurance claim number (HICN) or the new MBI. All new beneficiaries who sign up for Medicare in April and beyond will receive only the new MBI.
This change will affect how you bill Medicare for your services, but not how you bill Premera.
How to Prepare
- Review your practice management systems and processes. Are your systems ready to take the new MBI numbers for your Medicare patients?
- Make any changes and test by April so you’re ready when the new cards start arriving.
- Contact your billing vendor (if you use one) and make sure their billing system is ready for the change.
Need Help?