CMS is working with providers in eliminating Social Security numbers from Medicare cards
MACRA initiative to use random identifying numbers is being done to combat fraud and identity theft.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is helping providers prepare for the transition to new Medicare cards that will replace a beneficiary's Social Security number with a randomly-assigned and unique identifying number.
The fraud prevention initiative to help combat identify theft is mandated under the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act.
MACRA requires CMS to remove Social Security numbers from all Medicare cards by April 2019.
CMS said it would begin mailing the new cards in April 2018.
The agency has developed a multi-faceted outreach campaign to help providers get ready to use the new numbers for such transactions as billing, eligibility status, and claim status.
There will also be a 21-month transition period in which providers will be able to use either the new Medicare beneficiary identifier number or the Social Security-based health insurance claim number.
Providers and beneficiaries will be able to use secure look-up tool that will support quick access to the Medicare beneficiary identifier when they need them.
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"We're taking this step to protect our seniors from fraudulent use of Social Security numbers which can lead to identity theft and illegal use of Medicare benefits," said CMS Administrator Seema Verma. "We want to be sure that Medicare beneficiaries and healthcare providers know about these changes well in advance and have the information they need to make a seamless transition."
On May 23, CMS addressed its plan for the removal of Social Security numbers in testimony before the U.S. House Committee on Ways & Means Subcommittee on Social Security and the House Committee on Oversight & Government Reform Subcommittee on Information Technology.
The new Medicare cards will offer greater protection to more than 57.7 million Americans, CMS said. Between 2012 and 2014, the number of seniors age 65 and older who were the victims of identify theft increased from 2.1 million to 2.6 million, according to the most current statistics from the Department of Justice.
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Beneficiaries will be instructed to safely and securely destroy their current Medicare cards and to keep their new Medicare beneficiary identifier number confidential. The numbers represent no change in Medicare benefits.
Twitter: @SusanJMorse
