Health
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS, is readying a fraud prevention initiative that removes Social Security numbers from Medicare cards to help combat identity theft, and safeguard taxpayer dollars.
The new cards will use a unique, randomly-assigned number called a Medicare Beneficiary Identifier, (MBI), to replace the Social Security-based Health Insurance Claim Number (HICN) currently used on the Medicare card.
CMS will begin mailing new cards in April 2018 and will meet the congressional deadline for replacing all Medicare cards by April 2019.
This week, CMS kicked off a multi-faceted outreach campaign to help providers get ready for the new MBI.
“We’re taking this step to protect our seniors from fraudulent use of Social Security numbers which can lead to identity theft and illegal use of Medicare benefits,” said CMS Administrator Seema Verma. “We want to be sure that Medicare beneficiaries and healthcare providers know about these changes well in advance and have the information they need to make a seamless transition.”
Providers and beneficiaries will both be able to use secure look up tools that will support quick access to MBIs when they need them. There will also be a 21-month transition period where providers will be able to use either the MBI or the HICN further easing the transition
CMS testified on Tuesday, May 23rd before the U.S. House Committee on Ways & Means Subcommittee on Social Security and U.S. House Committee on Oversight & Government Reform Subcommittee on Information Technology, addressing CMS’s comprehensive plan for the removal of Social Security numbers and transition to MBIs.
Personal identity theft affects a large and growing number of seniors. People age 65 or older are increasingly the victims of this type of crime. Incidents among seniors increased to 2.6 million from 2.1 million between 2012 and 2014, according to the most current statistics from the Department of Justice.
Identity theft can take not only an emotional toll on those who experience it, but also a financial one: two-thirds of all identity theft victims reported a direct financial loss. It can also disrupt lives, damage credit ratings and result in inaccuracies in medical records and costly false claims.
Work on this important initiative began many years ago, and was accelerated following passage of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA).
CMS will assign all Medicare beneficiaries a new, unique MBI number which will contain a combination of numbers and uppercase letters.
Beneficiaries will be instructed to safely and securely destroy their current Medicare cards and keep the new MBI confidential. Issuance of the new MBI will not change the benefits a Medicare beneficiary receives.
CMS is committed to a successful transition to the MBI for people with Medicare and for the health care provider community.
CMS has a Web site dedicated to the Social Security Removal Initiative (SSNRI) where providers can find the latest information and sign-up for newsletters.
CMS is also planning regular calls as a way to share updates and answer provider questions before and after new cards are mailed beginning in April 2018.
For more information, please visit https://www.cms.gov/medicare/ssnri/index.html .
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- Written by: Editor
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Trauma happens.
From a broken bone to a concussion, accessible emergency medical services and a quick response is paramount to a successful recovery.
Traumatic injuries result from blunt force, penetrating wounds and burns.
Trauma accounts for 41 million emergency room visits a year, and 192,000 deaths annually, according to the National Trauma Institute.
Sutter Lakeside Hospital is a the only trauma center in Lake County, and one of 11 rural trauma centers recognized by the Emergency Medical Services Authority in California.
As a Level IV trauma center, SLH receives and stabilizes any trauma patient, and its skilled team of emergency nurses and physicians assess the patient for treatment and possible transport.
Trauma teams work closely with first responders to provide the necessary resources to save a victim’s life.
Sutter Lakeside Hospital utilizes an electronic system within its computerized medical record to prompt response teams to properly classify the level of injury and to guide care. The use of a uniform system improves patient outcomes, and streamlines care in the event of transfer.
For longtime Lake County resident David Rose, the routine task of loading his pontoon boat onto a trailer turned into a trip to the hospital.
“The deck of the boat is about four feet above the ground. I took a step off and fell, landing on my left side,” said Rose. “I broke three ribs and punctured my lung. I was able to get up on my own and I drove myself to the hospital.”
Trauma patients are assessed on a six point scale, from minor injury to maximal, or untreatable, injury.
The Injury Severity Score counts six regions in the body: Head and neck, face, thorax, abdomen and pelvis, extremities, and external. While Rose was able to breathe, he was in a lot of pain.
“The ER staff took good care of me,” said Rose. “Although I was in the ER for a while, they paid a lot of attention to controlling my pain. After I was admitted, they even fed me.”
Rose’s journey to recovery took a couple months, during which he continued care with Sutter physicians.
“I’m fully recovered. They took really good care of me.”
Because California does not have a statewide system for trauma care, large portions of the state do not have access to specialized trauma care, according to the California Healthcare Foundation. While trauma care guidelines were first established over forty years ago, the inability to access coordinated care can lead to serious long-term injury or death.
“Sutter Lakeside’s designation as a Level IV trauma center allows critically injured patients to receive the rapid treatment round the clock, as well as access higher level trauma centers for more severe injuries,” said Emergency Department Nurse Manager Nicole Lamm. “Over 85 percent of our ED nurses have passed the Trauma Nurse Core Curriculum, which provides extra training for treating trauma patients. Our nurses also travel to affiliates within the system to share ideas and learn from other trauma teams.”
In addition to highly educated nurses, each trauma patients’ records are reviewed to ensure that they received the best care.
“We look through every chart retrospectively to make sure we took all of the proper steps,” said Lamm. “We send our records to a national database, ensuring that the care we provide is up to date and in line with the best practices.
“I’m proud of our trauma team,” said Lamm. “They see some of the most severe cases, but stay calm and do what’s best for the patient.”
Morgen Wells is community relations and fund development specialist at Sutter Lakeside Hospital.
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- Written by: Morgen Wells
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