If you’ve seen new reason code N793 on your Medicare remittance advice lately and wonder what it is, you now know it relates to the new Medicare card.
The description for N793 is:
Alert: CMS is changing from the Medicare Health Insurance Claim Number (HICN aka “hickin”) to the new Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI). You can use either the HICN or MBI during this transition period.
You’ve probably been bombarded with Medicare news releases and Open Door Forums describing the change and the timeline, but if not, here are some helpful links:
CMS Page on the New Card here.
FAQs updated April 4th here.
Signs and widgets for your office and website here.
Timeline for state by state rollout here. (Hint: most states are described only as “After June 2018”)
Electronic Remittance Advice Example here.
Important Dates for the New Medicare Card
- Transition Period ends December 31, 2019.
- CMS accepts MBIs only regardless of the date of service January 1, 2020
