CMS launches web resource on provider transition to Medicare Beneficiary Identifier

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has launched a webpage to help health care providers prepare for the Medicare Beneficiary Identifier, which will replace the Health Insurance Claim Number on transactions such as billing, eligibility status and claim status by April 2019. The agency expects a transition period to begin no earlier than April 1, 2018 and run through Dec. 31, 2019, during which providers can use either the HICN or the MBI to exchange data with CMS. The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 requires CMS to remove Social Security Numbers from all Medicare cards by April 2019. The HICN is SSN-based.