Podiatry Coding & Billing Alert

Question: Can you explain what the Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI) number on the new Medicare cards is?

North Carolina Subscriber

Answer: CMS began mailing out new Medicare cards with MBIs in April to cut down on the prevalence of identity theft. MBIs replace the existing Social Security Number-based Health Insurance Claim Number (HICN) on the old Medicare cards.

Each unique MBI will consist of 11 randomly generated alphanumeric characters that will be “non-intelligent.” In other words, they won’t have any special or hidden meaning. CMS will use the numbers 0-9 and letters from A-Z in the MBIs, according to a CMS fact sheet. An exception to this rule is that the letters S, L, O, I, B, and Z will not be included.

Example:  Your patient’s MBI might read 1EG4-TE5-MK73, according to CMS guidance.

However, “the dashes aren’t used as part of the MBI,” the agency explains. “They won’t be entered into computer systems or used in file formats.” And don’t worry about fitting the new numbers on the old forms, CMS says. “MBIs will fit on forms the same way HICNs do. You don’t need spaces for dashes.”

Moreover, every Medicare beneficiary will receive a new number, including spouses who may have previously had “similar HICNs,” advises CMS.