Home Health & Hospice Week

Do you know how to handle billing when a patient’s MBI changes? If not, one HHH Medicare Administrative Contractor can help you out.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will issue a new Medicare Beneficiary Identifier number when an original MBI may have been been compromised, MAC National Government Services explains in a May 8 post to its website.

If the MBI changes after the Notice of Admission has processed, “the NOA does not need to be canceled and resubmitted under the new MBI,” NGS explains. “The HHA needs to enter the new MBI on anything billed on or after the effective date of the new MBI.” And the agency “must also correct the OASIS, if needed, to ensure the MBI on the OASIS and claim match.”

If the NOA and claims have processed, the same applies, NGS instructs. Just submit new claims with the new MBI and “ensure the MBI on the OASIS matches the new MBI billed on all claims.”

Important: “It is imperative that HHAs verify patient eligibility prior to admission and prior to billing,” NGS stresses. “Submitting the appropriate MBI based on the effective issue date and the dates of service being billed will help avoid claim edits, as well as ensure proper billing and efficient processing,” the MAC says.