From the beginning of the Medicare program, beneficiaries' Medicare cards displayed Social Security numbers (SSNs), which increased beneficiaries' vulnerability to identity theft. To meet the requirements of a 2015 Federal law, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) generated new randomized insurance numbers, called Medicare Beneficiary Identifiers (MBIs), to replace SSNs on Medicare cards; assigned the MBIs to beneficiaries; and mailed new Medicare cards. Because deficiencies in assigning MBIs and mailing new Medicare cards could have resulted in unintended consequences, such as claim processing errors and inappropriate release of personally identifiable information, we evaluated CMS's internal controls over implementation of the new MBIs.
Report File
Date Issued
Submitting OIG
Department of Health & Human Services OIG
Other Participating OIGs
Department of Health & Human Services OIG
Agencies Reviewed/Investigated
Department of Health & Human Services
Report Number
A-09-19-03003
Report Description
Report Type
Audit
Agency Wide
Yes
Number of Recommendations
3
Questioned Costs
$2,263,465
Funds for Better Use
$0
Open Recommendations
This report has 2 open recommendations.
| Recommendation Number | Significant Recommendation | Recommended Questioned Costs | Recommended Funds for Better Use | Additional Details | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 268085 | No | $2,263,465 | $0 | ||
| We recommend that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services instruct the Medicare contractors to review the $2,263,465 in improper payments for claims with dates of service after the beneficiaries’ dates of death and initiate recoupment for the amounts identified as improper payments. | |||||
| 268084 | No | $0 | $0 | ||
| We recommend that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services instruct the Medicare contractors to review deductible amounts that may have been incorrectly collected from beneficiaries or from someone on their behalf and take appropriate actions to resolve these amounts. | |||||
