Medicare Blog

what is medicare beneficiary identifiers (mbis)

by Hertha Moore Published 2 years ago Updated 1 year ago
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  • Your Medicare Beneficiary Identification number (MBI) can be found on your red, white, and blue Medicare card
  • Formerly, the MBI was the Medicare Claim Number, but it contained a beneficiary’s Social Security number. ...
  • Due to the sensitive nature of your Medicare number, it can be looked up online after making an account with “ my Social Security “.

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The Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI) is the new identification number that has replaced SSN-based health insurance claim numbers (HICNs) on all Medicare transactions, such as billing, claim submissions and appeals.

Full Answer

What does MBI stand for Medicare?

MBIs are numbers and upper-case letters. We use numbers 1-9 and all letters from A to Z, except for S, L, O, I, B, and Z. If you use lowercase letters, our system will convert them to uppercase letters. How does the MBI look on the card? The MBI has letters and numbers. Here’s an example: 1EG4-TE5-MK73 • The MBI’s 2 nd, 5 th, 8 th, and 9 th

What is the MBI number in Medicare?

Your Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI) number is for billing and identification purposes. On a Medicare card received before 2015 , your Medicare Claim Number consisted of your Social Security number followed by a code of letters and sometimes numbers that …

What is my Medicare beneficiary identification number?

Medicare Beneficiary Identifiers (MBIs) We removed Social Security Number (SSN)-based Health Insurance Claim Numbers (HICNs) from Medicare cards and are now using Medicare Beneficiary Identifiers (MBIs) for Medicare transactions like billing, eligibility status, and claim status. We worked closely with our business partners:

What is CMS MBI?

Dec 11, 2019 · An MBI is a confidential Medicare Beneficiary Identifier noted on the Medicare beneficiary’s new Medicare card. The MBI is Personally Identifiable Information (PII). Originally published: 12.11.19

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Where do I find my Medicare beneficiary identifier?

You can identify them by the RRB logo on their card, and we return a “Railroad Retirement Medicare Beneficiary” message on the Fee-For-Service (FFS) MBI eligibility transaction response. The beneficiary or their authorized representative can request an MBI change. CMS can also change an MBI.Mar 19, 2020

Is the Medicare number the same as the Medicare beneficiary identifier?

A. Background on the new Medicare Number

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) developed a new number called the Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI), which replaces the SSN-based Health Insurance Claim Number (HICN) on the Medicare card.
Jul 28, 2021

What is Medicare beneficiary information?

We removed Social Security Number (SSN)-based Health Insurance Claim Numbers (HICNs) from Medicare cards and are now using Medicare Beneficiary Identifiers (MBIs) for Medicare transactions like billing, eligibility status, and claim status.Dec 1, 2021

Where is the MBI number located?

On the front of your Medicare card is a number that is 11 characters long, consisting of numbers and uppercase letters. This is your Medicare claim number, also referred to as a Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI).Feb 8, 2021

What is the difference between Hicn and MBI?

The MBI has 11 characters, like the Health Insurance Claim Number (HICN), which can have up to 11. Will the MBI's characters have any meaning? Each MBI is randomly generated. This makes MBIs different than HICNs, which are based on the Social Security Numbers (SSNs) of people with Medicare.

What does my Medicare number look like?

Your Medicare number, also known as the Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI), contains eleven random letters and numbers. It shows on the red, white, and blue Medicare card. You can also find it on paperwork you receive from the Social Security Administration. Otherwise, contact your local Medicare or SSA office.

What is the meaning of beneficiary details?

Definition: In life insurance, the beneficiary is the person or entity entitled to receive the claim amount and other benefits upon the death of the benefactor or on the maturity of the policy. Description: Generally, a beneficiary is a person who receives benefit from a particular entity (say trust) or a person.

What other types of coverage can a beneficiary have in addition to Medicare?

Other options
  • In addition to Original Medicare or an MA Plan, you may be able to join other types of Medicare health plans.
  • You may be able to save money or have other coverage choices if you have limited income and resources. ...
  • You may also have other coverage, like employer or union, military, or veterans' benefits.

Can I look up someone's Medicare number?

Using your MAC's portal, you can look up any Medicare patient's MBI, regardless of where the patient lives. If you previously saw a patient and got a claim payment decision based on a claim submission with a HICN before January 1, 2020, look at that remittance advice.Dec 1, 2021

What is the beneficiary identification code?

What are Beneficiary Identification Codes (BIC)? BICs indicate the type of benefits a Social Security claimant receives and are used as Medicare claim numbers. These codes are not assigned to a claim number until the claimant applies for Social Security benefits.Mar 31, 2016

What is the Medicare MBI format?

MBI will contain Numbers and letters (Uppercase), that will use 0 to 9 numbers and all letters from A to Z, they have excluded S,L,O,I,B and Z so that will help all characters to easier to read. The MBI's 2nd, 5th, 8th, and 9th characters will always be a letter. Characters 1, 4, 7, 10, and 11 will always be a number.

How do I get a Medicare MBI number?

How to Obtain the MBI:
  1. Ask your patients for their cards. If they did not get a new card, refer them to the Medicare.gov Your Medicare Card website .
  2. Use the MBI Lookup Tool in myCGS. Sign up for myCGS to use the tool.

What is a B1 beneficiary?

B1 is for a husband of a primary beneficiary at age 62 or over. B2 is for a young wife with a child in her care, B3 is for an aged wife over the age of 62 who is a second claimant. B5 is also a second claimant wife, but they are under the age of 62 and have a child in their care.

What happens if you lose your Medicare card?

If you lose your Medicare card with your number on it, you can request that the Social Security Administration replace your card at no charge. The Medicare Beneficiary Identifier is for claims, billing and identification purposes.

How long does it take for Medicare to arrive in the mail?

After your replacement request, the card typically arrives in the mail in about 30 days, at no cost to the beneficiary. Social Security will mail your Medicare card to the address they have on file for you, so it is important to keep your information with them up to date.

What does B6 mean?

B6 represents a divorced wife over the age of 62. BY is for a young husband with a child in his care. Additionally, Codes C1-C9 represent children who may be minors, students, or disabled. The letter “D” follows for aged widows over the age of 60 or a surviving divorced wife over the age of 60.

What is the difference between E1 and E4?

The letter “E” code is for a widowed mother, while E1 is a surviving divorced mother. E4 is a widowed father, and E5 is a surviving divorced father. The letter “F” codes are for parents. A “T” code is for those who are enrolled in Medicare but are being temporarily delayed their Social Security Benefits or are uninsured.

What is a T code?

A “T” code is for those who are enrolled in Medicare but are being temporarily delayed their Social Security Benefits or are uninsured. ”TA” is for Medicare qualified government employees. ‘. ‘W’ ‘ is for a disabled widow, and ‘ ‘WA’ ‘ is for railroad retirement.

When will CMS start mailing out new MBI cards?

In April 2018 , CMS started mailing out new cards to meet the required deadline for the replacement of all cards by April 2019. These new cards have a new design, display the beneficiary’s MBI, and omit gender and signatures.#N#The 21-month transition period for the SSNRI began in April 2018 and will extend until Dec. 31, 2019, to ensure that all processes and systems are modified to accept and transmit MBIs. Even though all systems need to be able to accept the new MBI format starting April 2018, during this transition period, healthcare providers will be allowed to use either the HICN or MBI to exchange data with CMS.#N#Starting Jan. 1, 2020, MBIs must be used on all claims, with a few exceptions. (Exceptions may include appeals and retrospective adjustments.)

Who is Stacy Chaplain?

Stacy Chaplain, MD, CPC, is a development editor at AAPC. She has worked in medicine for more than 20 years, with an emphasis on education, writing, and editing since 2015. Prior to AAPC, she led a compliance team as director of clinical coding quality for a multispecialty group practice. Chaplain received her Bachelor of Arts in biology from the University of Texas at Austin and her Medical Doctorate from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. She is a member of the Beaverton, Oregon, local chapter.

When did states need to be ready for MBIs?

All of your systems are able to accept and are using the Health Insurance Claim Number (HICN) and/or MBI for beneficiaries who are dually eligible.

What do MBIs mean for other state entities & state partners?

If you work with beneficiaries who are dually eligible, providers, and/or health plans, you should have updated anything with the HICN, such as ID cards, beneficiary letters, training materials, or call center scripts with the MBI.

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What’s Behind The Change?

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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) New Medicare Card Project, formerly the SSN Removal Initiative (SSNRI), mandated this change under the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) of 2015. CMS must discontinue using all SSN-based HICN identifiers; CMS reissued all Medicare card…
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CMS Implementation Timeline

  • In April 2018, CMS started mailing out new cards to meet the required deadline for the replacement of all cards by April 2019. These new cards have a new design, display the beneficiary’s MBI, and omit gender and signatures. The 21-month transition period for the SSNRI began in April 2018 and will extend until Dec. 31, 2019, to ensure that all processes and system…
See more on aapc.com

Finding The MBI

  • All Medicare beneficiaries should now have their new card. If a patient says they have not yet received theirs, they need to contact Medicare and verify their address. Beneficiaries can also access their MBI via MyMedicare.gov. Providers can use the Medicare Administrative Contractors’ (MAC) secure MBI lookup tool to find a patient’s MBI. Also, Medicare began returning both the H…
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What Do MBIS Look like?

  • MBIs are 11-characters in length and occupy the same field in Medicare transactions. However, MBIs are distinguishable from HICNs, comprised of randomly assigned numbers and uppercase letters (excluding letters at risk for being interpreted as numbers S, L, O, I, B, Z) with no embedded meaning. As shown in CMS’ illustration Understanding the MBI Fo...
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