Update Your Medicare Beneficiary Identification Numbers

As we have indicated in the past, Medicare has changed their patient identification numbers to Medicare Beneficiary Identifiers (MBIs). Up until January 1, these numbers have been strongly suggested. However, beginning in 2020, these new MBIs are mandatory.

Please make sure that you have updated all your Medicare patient billing files to reflect each patient’s new MBI.

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Here is a release from Medicare:

Starting January 1, 2020, you must use Medicare Beneficiary Identifiers (MBIs) when billing Medicare regardless of the date of service:

• We will reject claims submitted with Health Insurance Claim Numbers (HICNs) with a few exceptions
• We will reject all eligibility transactions submitted with HICNs

If you do not use MBIs on claims after January 1, you will get:

• Electronic claims reject codes: Claims Status Category Code of A7 (acknowledgment rejected for invalid information), a Claims Status Code of 164 (entity’s contract/member number), and an Entity Code of IL (subscriber)
• Paper claims notices: Claim Adjustment Reason Code (CARC) 16 “Claim/service lacks information or has submission/billing error(s)” and Remittance Advice Remark Code (RARC) N382 “Missing/incomplete/invalid patient identifier”

Do not wait. Protect your patients’ identities by using MBIs now for all Medicare transactions. Need an MBI?

• Ask your patients for their cards. If they did not get a new card, give them the Get Your New Medicare Card flyer in English or Spanish.
• Use your Medicare Administrative Contractor’s look-up tool. Sign up for the Portal to use the tool.
• Check the remittance advice. We return the MBI on the remittance advice for every claim with a valid and active HICN.

For more information, see the MLN Matters Article.