Beneficiary Authorization

A request for payment signed by the beneficiary must be on file on or submitted with each claim. All rules apply to both assigned and unassigned claims unless otherwise indicated.

  1. When no enrollee signature required:
    • Enrollee deceased, bill unpaid and the physician or supplier agrees to accept Medicare approved amount as the full charge.
  2. When signature by mark is permitted: The enrollee is unable to sign his name because of illiteracy or physical handicap.
  3. When another person may sign on behalf of the enrollee:
    • Enrollee who is resident of a nonprofit retirement home gives power of attorney to the administrator of the home.
    • Enrollee physically or mentally unable to transact business: The request may be signed by a representative payee, legal representative, relative, friend, representative of an institution providing the enrollee care or support, or of a governmental agency providing him/her assistance.
    • Enrollee physically or mentally unable to transact business and full documentation is supplied that the enrollee has no one else to sign on his behalf: The physician, supplier, or clinic may sign.
    • Enrollee deceased and bill paid, or liability assumed: Person claiming payment should sign. If Form CMS-1500 was signed before the enrollee dies, claimant should sign separate request for underpayment.
  4. When request retained in file may cover extended future period:
    • Assignment in files of welfare agency covers all services furnished during the period when the enrollee is on medical assistance.
    • Authorization in files of organization approved under Section 30.2.8.3 covers all services paid for by that organization under that procedure.
    • Assignment in files of individual physician, supplier (except in the case of unassigned claims for rental of DME) or qualified reassignee under Section 30.2 is effective indefinitely.

One-Time Authorization (CMS-1500, Items 12 & 13)

Suppliers may obtain and retain in their files a one-time payment authorization from a beneficiary (or the beneficiary’s representative) applicable to any current and future services. The supplier should have the beneficiary sign a brief statement such as:

Name of Beneficiary _______________________ Medicare ID __________________________

I request payment of authorized Medicare benefits to me or on my behalf for any services furnished me by or in (supplier) ___________________. I authorize any holder of medical information about me to release to Medicare and its agents any information needed to determine these benefits or benefits for related services.

Signature ________________________________ Date__________________________

Once the supplier has obtained the beneficiary's one-time authorization, later claims for those same services can be filed without obtaining an additional signature from the beneficiary. These claims may be on an assigned or non-assigned basis with the exception of DME rentals. The one-time authorization for DME rental claims is limited to assigned claims.

Any supplier using the one-time authorization procedure agrees to the following:

  • Authorization must be renewed if a new item is rented or purchased.
  • Retaining the signed and dated one-time payment authorization form in the supplier's file.

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