Billing: CMS Clarifies Rules for Submitting Medicare Secondary Payer Claims

Why This Topic Matters

Medicare Secondary Payer billing errors can delay payment and trigger avoidable denials. This article helps readers understand the scope of CMS guidance so they can evaluate whether their billing workflow aligns with current Medicare coordination-of-benefits expectations.

Article Sections

1. CMS MSP billing tips

   An overview of recent CMS guidance on common Medicare Secondary Payer billing issues and the types of workflow problems the article addresses.

2. Ask Patients About All of Their Insurers

   Guidance on collecting complete insurance information from patients to support correct payer coordination.

3. Bill Primary Payer First, Not Simultaneously

   Discussion of claim sequencing and the coordination steps CMS describes for handling primary payer billing before Medicare Secondary Payer submission.

4. Single out Accident Claims

   Coverage of accident-related coordination issues, including liability, no-fault, and workers' compensation scenarios referenced in the article.

5. Paper Claims? Include EOB

   A brief note on documentation considerations for paper claim submission and supporting paperwork mentioned by CMS and a Medicare contractor.