In the MLN Connects Newsletter for February 26, CMS highlighted that it has identified fraud involving stolen Medicare Beneficiary Identifiers (MBIs) and is increasing monitoring of the Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) MBI lookup tool.
The lookup tool should only be used for beneficiaries a physician plans to treat and bill to Medicare. CMS will compare MBIs accessed with claims submitted under your National Provider Identifier (NPI). Excessive lookups without corresponding claims may result in loss of access.
By May 7, you should ensure all MAC portal users are linked to the appropriate NPIs in your organization for MBI lookups. This is necessary to maintain access to the tool.
Contact the APMA Advocacy Department with any questions at advocacy@apma.org.