Eli's Hospice Insider

Don’t get stumped on what to do when a patient’s full name isn’t listed on their Medicare card.

The problem: “Due to a character limit, some Medicare cards don’t display patients’ full names,” the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services says in a recent MLN Connects newsletter.

The solution: “According to section 10.2 of the Medicare Claims Processing Manual, Chapter 26 ... you should, ‘Enter the patient’s last name, first name, and middle initial, if any, as shown on the patient’s Medicare card,’” CMS instructs. “Your claims will still process using the name displayed on the patient’s Medicare card, even if it isn’t their full name,” the agency assures providers in the newsletter.