CMS announces provider ombudsman for new Medicare cards

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has named an ombudsman to serve as a resource for health care providers concerning the new Medicare beneficiary enrollment cards. “Dr. Eugene Freund will be serving in this position,” the agency said in a notice last week. “He will also communicate about the New Medicare Card to providers and collaborate with CMS components to develop solutions to any implementation problems that arise.” CMS will begin mailing the new cards to people with Medicare benefits in April 2018 to meet the statutory deadline for replacing all existing Medicare cards by April 2019. The new Medicare cards will contain a unique, randomly-assigned number that replaces the current Social Security-based number. To reach the new ombudsman, email NMCProviderQuestions@cms.hhs.gov.