Part B Insider (Multispecialty) Coding Alert

If Medicare managed-care plans are scooping up your patients and imposing extra red tape, then you could welcome a slowdown in their growth.

Seven large health insurers have volunteered to temporarily stop marketing their Medicare Advantage plans, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

The seven insurance companies are United Healthcare, Humana, WellCare, Universal American Financial, CoventryHealth Care, Sterling Life Insurance and BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee.

The marketing hiatus comes amid allegations of misleading and aggressive sales practices by what CMS called -rogue agents- employed by the insurers. The questionable marketing practices in turn led to patients who are poorly informed about their enrollment status and Medicare benefits.