Medicare has announced that, based on input from the Medicare community, they have redesigned the Medicare Summary Notice (or MSN) and the MSN should be easier to understand.
What is the MSN?
Medicare defines the Medicare Summary Notice as a written notice that you receive after your doctor or healthcare provider files a claim for Medicare Part A or Medicare Part B services in Original Medicare. The MSN explains what was billed by the doctor or provider, the amount of money approved by Medicare, how much Medicare paid, and the amount of money that you must pay. The MSN is sent out to about 36 million Medicare beneficiaries every three months.
Your Medicare Summary Notice is also available online at MyMedicare.gov and you can review your MSN at any time to review Medicare claims.
You will also be receiving a printed copy of your new MSN in the mail soon and you should notice several key improvements.
According to Medicare, you should see:
- Larger text size and wider spacing to make reading easier
- Plain, concise language you can understand quickly
- A “snapshot” of
- how much of your Part A or Part B deductible you’ve paid so far this year
- the providers you saw during the reporting period
- whether Medicare approved all your claims
- Brief descriptions of your medical procedures
- Easy-to-understand definitions for terms you might not know
- A checklist to help you make sure you’re getting the most from your Medicare
- Information on how to report fraud, preventive medical services, and important Medicare reminders
- Easy instructions for how to file an appeal if you disagree with a claim or payment decision
The MSN was redesigned not only by popular demand, but also to help the fight against Medicare fraud. Medicare reminds you that you can receive a reward up to $1,000 for a tip that leads to exposing Medicare fraud.
For more on the fight against Medicare fraud, you can also review our Blog found here:
https://Q1News.com/283.html
(Sources: http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/ stories/2012/march/07/ medicare-fraud-seniors-bills.aspx,
http://blog.medicare.gov/ 2013/06/06/ redesigned-with-you-in- mind-your-medicare -summary-notice/
http://blog.medicare.gov/ 2012/04/12/ cutting-the-clutter -the-newly-designed -medicare-summary-notice/
https://www.medicare.gov/ forms-help-and-resources/ mail-about-medicare/medicare-summary-notice-msn.html
https://www.cms.gov/ Newsroom/ MediaReleaseDatabase/ Press-Releases/ 2013-Press-Releases-Items/ 2013-06-06.html )