6 Essential Guidelines for Billing Medicaid in Any State

Medicare billing is simpler than Medicaid billing. This is due to the fact that Medicaid billing regulations differ by state, which also affects the claim filing procedures.

Medicaid primarily benefits persons with low incomes, those who are over 60, pregnant women, children, and, with few exclusions, those who are not elderly but have impairments or advanced HIV. A wide mix of Americans, 1 in 5, are covered by Medicaid. For millions of Americans, it also serves as a supplement to Medicare payments. Nearly two thirds of Medicaid funding goes to elderly and disabled adults.

Medicaid reimbursement rates are frequently lower than those of Medicare and other insurance payers, but because of the complicated standards, claim denial rates may also be higher. Before submitting claims or invoicing the patient, the medical practice must review the state's Medicaid billing regulations.

It will help you increase Medicaid collections at your doctor's office or group practice if you are aware of the following Medicaid billing requirements. Six "Do's and Don'ts" for Medicaid billing are listed below.

Verify coverage: To ascertain whether the patient is covered by the Medicaid program, visit the state's Medicaid website or get in touch with the nearby Medicaid office. Once more, your state would determine the Medicaid coverage.

Only treatments not included in the provider's Medicaid price schedule (procedure code table) are considered non-covered services while being billed. Get an Advance Beneficiary Notice (ABN) before submitting claims for treatments or services that you believe Medicaid may not reimburse. You must obtain the ABN before providing the service.

Medicare balance claims: Depending on the type of Medicaid plan the patient has, you can bill the difference between the Medicaid fee and the third-party payment (less any Medicaid copayment or coinsurance). This is true if the patient has third-party insurance but the coverage is less than the Medicaid fee. Some insurance plans let you bill patients, while others categorically forbid it.

On each claim, include the ten-digit Medicaid ID number: The card control number, which is an eight-digit number on the front of the Medicaid identity card, is used to access the recipient's file and determine eligibility. The recipient's ten-digit Medicaid identification number, which needs to be put on claims for billing, is not the same as this one.

Providers are expressly prohibited from invoicing Medicaid consumers for NO-show costs; consult state laws and regulations before billing.