Overhaul of Medicare Beneficiary Identifiers Coming in 2018

The change is only permanent thing happening in all these era’s. With the new identifiers coming around the medical industry, many new changes are about to happen. It seems to be a good start even though starting with such a huge task seems to undergo changes in whole organizations which are in touch with medical industry. The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act which took place in 2015 made it mandatory to take out the personal and Social Security Number from the Health Care Insurance Number (HCIN). The HCIN is base for claiming insurance and has got most important role in medical industry.

The Identifier

Because of the implementation of this enforcement, all the medical industries must have update with new Medicare Beneficiary Identifier which in short terms is called as MBI. The main focus of implementing this in medical industry is to

• Minimize the burdens for providers
• Reduce the hurdles in beneficiaries
• Medicare operations will become simpler
• A better solution for data exchange between insurance companies

For all these reasons the MBI is announced to get implemented for upcoming years. The unique identifying number will lead to no duplication in the data of a patient. The reimbursements will become easy and claims can be done in favorable manner. The Identifier is designed with set of numbers which will act as a primary key for a patient. With that primary key as access control, data can be taken or changed only by the authorized personnel.

This change on usage of MBI has got a wide welcome because data duplication or stealing medical records cannot happen in these criteria. But the only struggle is will it can be implemented in all the industries which are in link with medical industry?

Who will undergo the change?

Since this change has to be made with all the organizations which are in connection with medical industries? Some of the firms are mentioned below

• Insurance companies
• Billing services
• Federal partners
• States
• Beneficiaries
• Stakeholders
• Data warehouses

This entire sector is now pressured with change the HCIN into MBI for stepping up into the next ladder of improvement. Even though it is seen as a good improvement, the time given for implementing this enforcement is seen as a short time. Every person could have visited medical industry at least for once in his life time. So the change is for the whole population of America which will need more time than the given period.

Process involved

The process involved in creating new beneficiary identifier is

• Generating new MBI
• Issue of new ID cards
• Modify the whole business and data system

These three are the main process which is involved in launching this MIB successfully. The time given for this whole process in really inadequate, but it is seemed as a good start for a prosperous future.

The 11 digit code which is going to change the whole old system is welcomed. So at the end of April 2018, the new cards will reach individual’s mailbox and create a new era of non-duplicated MIB.