How providers can prepare for new Medicare card system
By Admin | July 05, 2017
By April 2019, all Medicare cards will be replaced with new ones that use a unique identification number and will not contain a patient’s social security number.
These new cards will start being used by April 2018, meaning providers will have an entire year of possibly seeing both old and new cards.
To prepare for the transition, CMS offers five helpful tips:
- Sign up for the weekly MLN newsletter on the CMS provider Website
- Take part in quarterly calls for more info
- Verify addresses of all Medicare patients and ask them to report any discrepancies with Social Security
- Hang posters to alert and remind Medicare patients of these changes
- Test your systems and have your billing department ensure your practice is ready
The new cards are supposed to curb identity theft and fraud as well as help keep private medical information safe.
For more about the transition to new Medicare cards, read “CMS offers five ways providers can get ready for new Medicare cards” from Healthcare Finance News.
